The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry Book Review

 

You know how they say if a book doesn’t grab you on the first page or first chapter it probably won’t? No worries with this one! And I never should have started to read The Perfect Child on a workday an hour or so before my shift.

This is an extremely intense five-star read … and, admittedly, I am pretty “stingy” with five-star reads, but this one is so well deserved. There are so many things going on throughout the pages of this novel. There is six-year-old Janie who is an extremely troubled little girl who came into the hospital Christopher and Hannah worked out. Christopher being an orthopedic surgeon and Hannah being a nurse working at the same hospital. All Chris and Hannah wanted was a family of their own, enter Janie into their lives. On the outside, Janie seems to be a friendly, happy, outgoing child but behind closed doors at Chris and Hannah’s house is a different story entirely. Chris finds it hard to believe the stories that Hannah tells him about Janie’s behavior. He is blind to it he is so enamored with Janie. He’s a doctor, he can fix her. Until things go terribly, terribly wrong.

I truly believe that Ms. Berry’s profession as a trauma psychologist helped her craft this story into something that is so intense, dark, tragic, sad. This is a story of a very mixed-up little girl, you could say broken probably beyond repair, that leads to the unthinkable. It is also a story of a new mom suffering an extreme psychotic break, I suspect related to all the stress she was under at the time. There is also a hint of forgiveness between Chris and Hannah. Their story takes “for better or for worse” to a whole new level.

While this story is dark and twisted in so many ways, I think it is an important book as it brings to light conditions that happen in real life, we just don’t hear about them, darknesses that real people suffer from, darknesses that we need to be educated about. A disturbingly excellent read.

A Friend Like That by Marissa Finch Book Review

 

Publication day March 30, 2021. 

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review. Image provided by Ms. Finch. 

This story is primarily told in the voice of Alice. Alice is a loner who lives with her mom, her mom suffering from debilitating anxiety since the death of her husband. Alice finds herself sitting at the El Diablo after losing her job at The Grant due to the thing that happened, something The Grant wants to keep quiet. This is where she meets Taylor. Alice, not having much of a life herself, finds herself drawn to Taylor’s wild ideas of how to have a good time, at least Alice is getting out of the house. Until things go terribly wrong.

The other two main characters in this book are Enid and Heath, sister and brother, who have lived next door to Alice and her mom for twenty-five years. Alice and Enid have been friends all through grade school and high school, when, as in real life, they went their separate ways with different interests, until they reconnect and find themselves spending time with each other again, though Taylor decidedly takes up much of Alice’s time. Much to Enid’s disappointment.

There is actually more than one story contained within the pages of this book which makes it a good read, I think. There is even a hint of romance along with some personal healing. I expect you will be just as surprised at the ending as I was. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Finch. 

If you are looking for a new “psychological thriller” author, give Ms. Finch a shot!

The Case of the Sad Sons by Felita Daniels Book Review

 Image provided by Ms. Daniels. 

I have said this before, but one of the great things about being a reader is discovering new authors. Facebook is a great place for this to happen! This is where I stumbled across Ms. Daniels who graciously gifted me a copy of her book, “The Case of the Sad Sons.” Had it not been for that chance encounter, I would not know of the existence of her book. 

This is a tale about Locke Industries who believes their company is being embezzled from, but they don’t know by whom or how or why. They decided to have this further investigated and hired Laura Anthony and her team from The Anthony Group to investigate. There are two crimes committed … the reasons and the people involved are quite surprising. There is one “secret” hidden in this book that came as quite a shock. 

Ms. Daniels has created a family in Charles (the dad), Martin (the oldest son), and Terrance (the younger son, a Marine who just came back home eight months ago). Each has their strengths and their flaws. Then, there are the folks who make up The Anthony Group. Laura Anthony, the owner, is a strong female role yet she has taken her share of hard knocks which is probably why she is tough yet compassionate. Tommy is her computer geek whom she has taken under her wing to give him skills to help him succeed if he decides to branch out on his own. Mark is the ex-cop who rents an office from Laura and works for her upon occasion. He’s like her big brother. Finally, there is Ginger who is a former attorney working for Laura, but she keeps them on the legal side of things, even if that side is gray at times. Not to mention the other secondary characters interspersed, each playing their own unique role in the telling of this tale.

Fatal Complications by John Benedict Book Review

 

Image provided by Dr. Benedict. 

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

This is when we first meet Luke Daulton, the new anesthesiologist working through a service who provides anesthesia services to Swatara General. This is also the book in which Luke and Kim’s baby girl, Abigail, enters the picture. This is an important point which you will understand when you read Fatal Complications as there are complications that occur in the operating rooms. We also get to meet Rob Gentry and Gwen along with Dr. Katz and Dr. Seidle. There is also an underlying story of an election campaign involving Senator Pierce. Apparently, some really bad dudes didn’t want him to maintain his senate seat. Don’t forget the money. And to think the answer lies within a Sudoku puzzle unknowingly picked up by someone who didn’t know any better.

I found this book to have some underlying themes, mostly related to good versus evil and who will be the victor … another being Luke dealing with some pretty deep-seated issues regarding his dad and struggling with his faith (is there a God or isn’t there?). Kim wants Luke to believe, yet she knows him well enough to know that he has to “get there” in his own time. I think we all question our faith when bad things happen. 

Having read Fatal Complications, Adrenaline, and The Edge of Death, I find that Dr. Benedict keeps his characters consistent throughout making them more relatable.

Without A Trace by Carissa Ann Lynch Book Review

 

There is almost nothing better than spending a rainy Sunday reading a good book. Such is the case of Sunday, March 14, 2021 … for me anyway. Ms. Lynch has fast become one of my favorite authors to read and Without A Trace is no exception.

We find Lily a four-year-old little girl has gone missing and her mom, Nova, is a mess as you can imagine. We also discover that what started out as a fairy tale for Nova’s didn’t turn out that way … or is she lying? There is Martin, Nova’s real estate husband, who seemingly has his professional personality and his when you’re alone in the room with him personality. The police officer on the case, Ellie, was involved in an incident that she is still trying to come back from. There is Nova’s neighbor, Clara, with a secret of her own. And, there is Rachel, the midwife, who gives Nova a business card with a knitting group’s app site on it. As it turns out, it may not be “just” a knitting club.

There is also an underlying theme running through this book that makes me a put a trigger warning on it for domestic abuse … the underlying theme being there is help available even if it is hidden, sort of like an underground system. The thing is, victims of abuse sometimes have a hard time escaping and don’t know how. They are scared. It is not an easy decision to leave one’s abuser, most especially if you have been threatened in any way and if there are kids involved that makes it even harder in some cases. This is true for both men and women. I highly praise Ms. Lynch for putting this book out in the world, to let victims know that there is help available.

There is definitely more to this book than what I was expecting. And the ending … well, you’ll have to read that for yourself.

Burn The Night by Mike Donohue Book Review

 

Image provided by Mr. D. 

I had the opportunity to do an early read and proof for Mr. Donohue. Publishing March 16, 2021.

Max finds himself in Philly, working as a driver for Liam’s car service, PPCS. As a night driver, Max runs across all sorts of characters, from drunk college girls, the occasional uptight businessman, or brides in bloody wedding dresses. One such passenger dropped a box in the back of his Town Car. Max, as you may recall, is also running from some seriously bad dudes and is still trying to fly under the radar, make things right in his life. The box is the property of Adelita, Max finds out later, and Adelita is looking for her sister, Soledad. There is also the underlying story of a re-election campaign going on. Javon, a young gym rat Max has seen at Ronnie’s gym, is also kidnapped in this tale and, naturally, Max wants to help. 

Mr. Donohue just keeps throwing out the twists as this story unfolds. Mr. Donohue is also quite masterful in how he uses imagery to pull the reader in. I am quite certain that you will enjoy his work as much as I do.

This is book #5 in Mr. Donohue’s Max Strong series. The order of his books: Shaking the Tree, Bottom of the World, Hollow City, Trouble Will Find Me, Burn the Night. Prequels: Sleeping Dogs and The Devil’s Angel. Short story collection: October Days.

While each of these books can be read as standalones, I encourage you to read them in order to really get a sense of Max and his friends.

SIDE NOTE: I don’t really like to compare one author to another, but I feel it is justified in this case. Mr. Donohue’s character, Max, reminds me a lot of Mr. Child’s character, Reacher. Both of these men are wanderers, finding themselves in one town or another. Both characters do odd jobs for a few extra dollars, not really concerned with the money, rather the cover it provides. Both seem to end up in positions where they are left with the choice of helping someone they feel is in distress or walking away. Both choose to help. Max and Reacher both seem to have inner demons, good versus evil, erring on the side of good. All these traits make both of these characters quite relatable.

The Words We Whisper by Mary Ellen Taylor (Mary Burton) Book Review

 

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review. Available July 20, 2021.

Never be “afraid” to pick up a book outside of your favorite genre. Like this one, you may be missing a true gem!

This book combines the past with the present. Nonna (the grandmother of the story) lived in Italy during the 1940s, the time of the war. She guards her past and her secrets, hidden away in a box and the deep recesses of her memory. She took her granddaughters in, Gina and Zara, and raised them so she is pretty much all they know. Now, at the age of 97, she has decided to tell her secrets. Zara came home on the notion that Nonna needed her to take care of her (Zara being a traveling hospice nurse). Wait until you find out the truth about that!

If you like books that are based on the premise of the past meeting the present, I am certain you will enjoy this one. This book has it all – the older generation finally telling their past secrets. A relationship between sisters. The chance at love … in the strangest of places. The thing about historical writing, for me anyway … it has to be interesting. This one hits that mark. 

I am so glad to have had the opportunity to read this book.  Make sure you set aside a day for this one … had I had the time, I would have devoured these words in one sitting.

The Sister-In-Law by Pamela Crane Book Review

 

Not my picture. 

As a member of Ms. Crane’s reader team, I received a gifted copy and am providing a review. Publishing August 10, 2021.

I never should start one of Ms. Crane’s books during my 30-minute lunch break. I did and all I wanted to do was keep reading. If given the opportunity, I am quite certain I would have finished this tale in a day or two at the most.

This book has absolutely everything you could want in a psychological thriller, starting out with Ben’s death and it doesn’t stop giving, with seeds of hints along the way. Ben, as it turns out, had secrets of his own. Harper, his wife, carries her own remorse for a tragic accident, yet ultimately she was able to forgive. Harper’s children, Elise and Jackson, are integral parts of this story. Lane, Harper’s brother, carries secrets of his own and is the one to protect Harper no matter what. Their mom is the type of mom who speaks her mind, no matter the consequences. She tells it like it is. Enter Candace, Lane’s new wife after a very brief whirlwind relationship. When Candace enters the picture, she and Harper go at it because they simply do not like each other, Candace because she thought Harper had too much control over Lane, and Harper because she thought Candace was only out to use Lane. All of their lives are intertwined, with all of their dirty little secrets revealed in the end. There is also a great deal of forgiveness included in this story.

I absolutely adore this quote! “House guests were like fish – they were only good for about three days.” Ms. Crane has absolutely filled this story with a lot of imagery and has nailed the descriptions to the absolute nth degree. While I enjoyed “Pretty Ugly Lies” and “Little Deadly Secrets,” they have got nothing on “The Sister-in-Law.” Don’t forget to check out Talia’s short story at the end!

The Edge of Death by John Benedict Book Review

 

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

We find Dr. Doug Landry on a six-month leave from Mercy. He is now giving lectures to students about anesthesia. In one of the lectures that Dr. Landry attended, he listened to a lecture by Dr. Mueller, a pathologist. Some of the medical profession in this story think of pathology as the “basement profession,” if you will, considering Dr. Mueller worked with tissue on slides and corpses and not live beings. Dr. Mueller was studying how to bring someone back from the dead … is a person really dead when they are declared or is there still enough cell activity to bring them back? He did an experiment on one such case, Nick Chandler. The results were not exactly what he was expecting. Chip and Kristin are two instrumental characters in this tale. 

I have to say Dr. Benedict has a very creative imagination. He has created somewhat of a Frankenstein-type story in “The Edge of Death.” While it is the book that follows “Adrenaline,” you could certainly read it as a standalone. This book is full of some creepiness that calls into question – is Kirlian photography a real thing? Could this really happen if someone was so inclined to study it further? Creepy good read.

Lit by C.B. Wiant Book Review

 

Take a close look at the cover. Do you see what I see?

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review. I highly recommend you read LIGHT HER UP before you read LIT. In LIGHT HER UP, you are introduced to the characters you will meet in LIT and will have a better understanding.

 **POTENTIAL SPOILERS**

At the beginning of LIT, the reader is taken into what I would classify as a dream of Aviana’s, although she is known as Lily and later as Nix. We find her tossed into what is called the Arena during her Season. In the Arena, she is faced with Beasts that she has to exterminate in order to survive. The “organizer” of these events is Onyx, who Lily thinks she can trust to help her get to the other side, if you will. All the while, Lily is wondering what happened to Hudson and why he has not come to save her. Onyx finally relents and lets Lily have Hudson back, and then he pretty much forces her to go through a mirror of sorts, claiming Hudson will be right behind her. Lily then finds herself admitted to a psychiatric hospital and comes back into contact with Ramona, surprised to find out that eight years have gone by. And what exactly happened to her in those eight years she cannot explain and yet it feels like her imagination gone wild. Was what she experienced real or imagined?

As in LIGHT HER UP, if you enjoy the paranormal genre, I am sure you will enjoy LIT. LIT brings closure and ties all the loose ends together you may have been wanting more of in LIGHT HER UP. Can you imagine being able to conjure up the thought of fire and having your hands light up, such as in Lily’s case?