J.D. Robb discussion

We're accepting nominations for our Apr. 2022 Book of the Month.

Please review the Guidelines below prior to making your nomination.

Nominations open Feb. 17-21
Poll open Feb. 22-26

Please note: You may nominate any book from the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller genre or from any one of the many sub genres, with the exception of books by J.D. Robb and Nora Roberts. We explore Robb's In Death series in Buddy Reads & other discussions in this group. And we read & discuss Nora Roberts books with our sister group, Nora Roberts Groupies. We encourage you to join the discussions any time.

Monthly Book Nomination Guidelines:
1-Each member may nominate 2 books per month. Please include a link to the book that you nominate.
2-All books must have been released at least 2 months prior to any nomination.
3-We respectfully ask that you only nominate books that you are planning to read and discuss with this group.
4-Nominated books must be from the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller genres or one of the many sub genres.
5-Nominated books must be the first book in a series unless the Robb group has previously read the preceding books.
6-J.D. Robb and Nora Robert books are not eligible for nomination. We invite you to join us as we explore the In Death series books in our In Death Buddy Reads and enjoy discussing the Nora Roberts titles in our sister group, Nora Roberts Groupies.
7-If an issue arises in which the winning book is disqualified, the book having received the 2nd most votes in our poll will become our Book of the Month.

The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben




The Lying House by Rick Mofina

I nominate Plum Island by Nelson DeMille.

I nominate

The Kill Artist by Daniel Silva (Gabriel Allon #1)

Gabriel Allon had a simple but brutal job: he tracked down and eliminated Israel's terrorist enemies. But when his wife and son fell victim to the danger that accompanied him everywhere, Gabriel quit and devoted himself to the work of art restoration, an occupation that had previously been a cover for his secret assignments. Now Ari Shamron, the head of Israeli intelligence, needs Gabriel's particular kind of experience to thwart a Palestinian plot to destroy the peace negotiations in the Middle East. The architect of this plot, a Palestinian zealot named Tariq, is a lethal part of Gabriel's past, so as the two begin an intercontinental game of hide-and-seek, with life and death as the prizes, the motives are as personal as they are political.

The story features a vivid and fascinating supporting cast, including the magus-like Ari Shamron, a beautiful French Jewish model who is seeking retribution for her family's death in the Holocaust, and a marvelously comic down-at-the-heels London art dealer. Set these colorful and varied characters against a brilliant background of political intrigue and vengeance at the highest levels and a manhunt that covers three continents, and the result is a smart and electrically exciting global thriller.
___________

Breathless by Louise Marley (stand-alone)

Someone in Port Rell has a secret.

Nothing ever happens in the seaside village of Port Rell, which is why Lainey Jennings is so keen to leave it. She’s only twenty-four, there’s so much more she wants to do with her life. Crazy and outlandish things; like ice diving in Alaska, explore the underwater caves in Mexico, maybe even search for the lost city of Atlantis. Stay in Port Rell forever? Talk about purgatory!

Since the death of her father, she’s struggled to keep the family diving business from bankruptcy. There’s just one thing that keeps her going. Her dream that one day she’ll discover the lost wreck that her father was so obsessed with, the legendary Mary Eliza - responsible for destroying Port Rell almost four hundred years ago.

When an old, unknown wreck is discovered in the bay, sleepy Port Rell is under siege once again. This time it’s from the media, including a team from the Wreck Raiders TV show, led by handsome archaeologist Zac Nelson. The villagers are quick to cash in on their unexpected popularity, but ancient wrecks aren’t the only things waiting to be discovered in Port Rell.

Because someone in Port Rell has a secret.

And it's deadly.


Breathless is a romantic comedy with a murder mystery

Luffy wrote: "I nominate Plum Island by Nelson DeMille."

Oh Good one. I haven't read a Nelson DeMille book in a few years.

These all look so good. There goes my TBR again. I clear off one or two book from my TBR every month then add 5 or 6. I don't think I get the purpose of the Clean up that TBR challenge.

Sharon wrote: "Luffy wrote: "I nominate Plum Island by Nelson DeMille."

Oh Good one. I haven't read a Nelson DeMille book in a few years."

The same goes for me :)

The Stranger in the Mirror by Liv Constantine


Description
Addison’s about to get married, but she’s not looking forward to the big day. It’s not her fiancé; he’s a wonderful man. It’s because Addison doesn't know who she really is. A few years ago, a kind driver found her bleeding next to a New Jersey highway and rescued her. While her physical wounds healed, Addison’s memory never returned. She doesn’t know her real name. Or how she ended up injured on the side of a road. Or why she can’t shake the notion that she may have done something very, very bad . . .

In a posh home in the Boston suburbs, Julian tries to figure out what happened to his loving, caring wife, Cassandra, who disappeared without a trace two years ago. She would never have left him and their seven-year-old daughter Valentina of her own free will—or would she?

As these two lives intersect, The Stranger in the Mirror hooks readers with riveting drama, told with Liv Constantine’s hallmark blend of glamour, tense psychological thrills, and jaw-dropping twists.

Find Me by Anne Frasier

A bone-chilling family history is unearthed in a heart-stopping thriller by New York Times bestselling author Anne Frasier.

Convicted serial killer Benjamin Fisher has finally offered to lead San Bernardino detective Daniel Ellis to the isolated graves of his victims. One catch: he’ll only do it if FBI profiler Reni Fisher, his estranged daughter, accompanies them. As hard as it is to exhume her traumatic childhood, Reni can’t say no. She still feels complicit in her father’s crimes.

Perfect to play a lost little girl, Reni was the bait to lure unsuspecting women to their deaths. It’s time for closure. For her. For the families. And for Daniel. He shares Reni’s obsession with the past. Ever since he was a boy, he’s been convinced that his mother was one of Fisher’s victims.

A five-hundred-mile road trip lies ahead. Thirty years of bad memories are flooding back. A master manipulator has gained their trust. For Reni and Daniel, this isn’t the end of a nightmare. It’s only the beginning.

Hide Your Eyes by Alison Gaylin

Emily wrote: "Hide Your Eyes by Alison Gaylin"

Seems like an excellent choice. :)

I nominate Never Look Back by Mary Burton (it says it's part of a series but a standalone so I think it's okay)

After multiple women go missing, Agent Melina Shepard of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation makes the impulsive decision to go undercover as a prostitute. While working the street, she narrowly avoids becoming a serial killer’s latest victim; as much as it pains her to admit, she needs backup.

Enter lone wolf FBI agent Jerrod Ramsey. Stonewalled by a lack of leads, he and Melina investigate a scene where a little girl has been found abandoned in a crashed vehicle. They open the trunk to reveal a horror show and quickly realize they’re dealing with two serial killers with very different MOs. The whole situation brings back memories for Melina—why does this particular case feel so connected to her painful past?

Before time runs out, Melina must catch not one but two serial killers, both ready to claim another victim—and both with their sights set on her.

Second nomination (in case this one is not okay):

No Way Back by J.B. Turner

From the author of the of the bestselling Jon Reznick Thriller series comes an exhilarating new adventure. When the people he loves most are in danger, Jack McNeal will get revenge...or die trying.

NYPD detective Jack McNeal is used to asking the tough questions. But a late-night visit from the Secret Service lands Jack on the other side of the table—as a suspect in the disappearance of his estranged wife, Caroline, a prominent reporter on the White House beat. When her body is found floating in the Potomac, Jack is overcome by disbelief and despair.

Her death seems eerily similar to the suspicious fatality of a young socialite years before. Is the similarity of the two tragic incidents simply a coincidence, or could it be a sign of a murderous orchestrated plot to protect those in the highest echelons of the American government?

To avenge Caroline’s death, Jack embarks on a journey into the darkest recesses of power. Suspects abound—from haunted special forces soldiers to ex-CIA to the president’s own body man. Along the way, Jack will be forced to decide: Is there a line he won’t cross to expose the killer?

Cindy, Never Look Back is Criminal Profiler #6. I think we need to go with book 1 - The Last Move if you'd like to nominate it.

It said it was a standalone book. I wasn’t sure. I’m fine with the other one

FYI, publishers always say that about series books…that they can standalone. Most of the time? Not true.

However the settings and characters were different. I did look. Even the questions under the individual books said that they were standalone stories / not related. I was intrigued by this one due to the setting (Tennessee). I did have a second nomination or go with the first in the series.