The Forgotten Boy by Emily Shiner Book Review

 

I received a gifted copy and am writing a review. Publishing January 2023.

This tale is told in two voices, those of Mina and Rebecca. Mina has returned to Black Tar, Tennessee, to clean out her parents’ home. The stipulation in her mom’s will is that Mina do this on her own or she doesn’t get her inheritance. To say Mina is less than thrilled to be back home is an understatement. There’s a knock on the door. It’s Rebecca of Secure Solutions checking in with Mina to be sure everything’s okay and she still wants to maintain the services her parents setup regarding the alarm system. At least, that’s the story Rebecca tells Mina.

To say this tale is twisted is putting it mildly. Rebecca has her own reasons for befriending Mina. Mina has her reasons for not wanting to be back home, but she also wants to uncover some memories that have been clouded by her drinking. Wanda just wants her jewelry back.

While this story has minimal characters, it kept my attention without being overloaded with characters. It doesn’t have to be.  I look forward to more books from Ms. Shiner … especially if they are this twisted with an ending that makes you go hmmmm … I didn’t see that coming.

Where The Guilty Hide by Annette Dashofy

 

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review. (Not my picture. Publishing January 2023.)

I have never heard of Ms. Dashofy but I am so glad I have now! I look forward to reading more from her. If you’ve never heard of her or read any of her books, I would encourage you to do so. I’m sure, like me, you’ll add her to your list of favorites in no time.

Emma finds herself trying to escape her past, but everywhere she looks she feels like she’s being watched. She ends up hiding out in a campground in Erie, but not only is she trying to escape her past, she is also trying to find her sister, Nell. Nell’s last known residence was in Erie … somewhere. For employment, Emma works as a freelance photographer for a couple of different publications. She is almost out of money when she gets an opportunity to work on a project for a friend of hers, taking pictures for a project he’s working on. Along the way, she finds herself taking a walk along the beach, noticing a yoga class, all the while taking pictures of what catches her eye - the seagulls, the water, the clouds, a pile of trash … or at least it appears to be a pile of trash. Little does she know what would happen after she took that picture. Enter Detective Matthias and his partner. Enter a case of some home invasions, but how are they tied to this picture?

If you like a story that has multiple different story lines that all tie together in the end, this tale is sure to keep you turning the pages!

Her Sister's Death by K.L. Murphy Blog Tour/Book Review

 

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

Can you imagine your sister doing something that you thought she would never do? This is the position that Val found herself in. Her sister, Sylvia, checked into the Franklin, a local hotel that has a history of its own.

This story combines a story from 1921 involving newlywed Bridget to her overbearing husband Lawrence. These stories are intertwined in a way that I sure didn’t see happening … at all.

Val, being a journalist at heart, finds herself in the library one day researching for anything she can find on what might have happened to her sister because she didn’t believe Sylvia did what the authorities were claiming. There had to be something more. Enter Terry Martin, a retired detective, who was the lucky, or not so lucky, recipient of watching Val crumble. After hearing her story, he decided to help her, but he wasn’t sure why.

Bridget and Lawrence’s story is interwoven between these pages as Val and Terry continue down this path of truth finding, all the while meeting and interviewing some interesting characters. You’ll be introduced to Wyatt (Sylvia’s husband); Angela (Wyatt’s administrative assistant); Dani (Wyatt’s wanna be girlfriend); Merry and Miles (the children); Billy (working at the Franklin); along with a host of other minor characters that help craft this tale.

If you like a story that includes a bit of ghostliness, a murder or two, an unexpected partnership trying to get to the answer, and some dysfunctional relationships, give this one a read.

  

Purchase Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Her-Sisters-Death-K-Murphy/dp/0744307414/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1G3J63Y1NS7DD&keywords=her+sister%27s+death+k.l.+murphy&qid=1663519584&sprefix=her+sister%27s+death+k%2Caps%2C306&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/her-sisters-death-k-l-murphy/1140923109?ean=9780744307399

 

Find Ms. Murphy:

Website: https://kellielarsenmurphy.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/klmurphyauthor/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/k-l-murphy

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6565833.K_L_Murphy

Twitter: https://twitter.com/klmurphyauthor?lang=en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/k.l._murphy/

 

Interested in your own book tour?

Partners in Crime: https://www.partnersincrimetours.net/

 

Need a proofreader? I’ve got you covered - https://www.melissaproofs.com/

 

1 Last Betrayal by Valerie Brooks Blog Tour/Book Review

 

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review. This is book three in the Angeline Porter Trilogy.

This book starts out at an extremely fast clip, slows down in the middle, and picks up again near the end. I can only imagine that the first two books in this series are written in the same way. I expect the other two can also be read as standalones, but they may be helpful in getting a better understanding of the characters we meet in book three.

Angeline (Ang) has discovered that she has a sister in Bibi and a brother in Ian. This tale takes us on Ang’s trip to Florida to help Bibi who apparently has gotten mixed up with a bad group of people and Ang isn’t sure what’s going on. She is working with Gerard, an undercover FBI agent, who she finds out isn’t necessarily telling her the entire truth. She also teams up with Detective Prosper while she’s in Florida. Ang is also grieving the loss of her other sister, Sophia, and is trying to understand why she did what she did and is after the truth in that aspect of her life. There are dogs! Tempest is Ang’s dog, and Otto is Bibi’s dog. There is an assortment of interesting characters contained within these pages, some of whom aren’t who or what they seem.

The voice of this story is so believable … the thoughts that Ang has and some of her statements are so spot-on, lending to her character’s personality. She is just so ‘real,’ so relatable. Seriously, if you like a fast-paced tale with some shady characters, give this one a read. This is my first book by Ms. Brooks and certainly won’t be my last. You will definitely be entertained by the characters she creates. 

  

Purchase Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Betrayal-Angeline-Porter-Trilogy/dp/1732373248/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1663519197&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/1-last-betrayal-valerie-j-brooks/1142180174?ean=2940166595980

 

Find Ms. Brooks:

Website: https://valeriejbrooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FemmesNoirFiction/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/valerie-j-brooks

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12043727.Valerie_J_Brooks

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ValinParis

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/valeriejbrooksauthor/

 

Interested in your own book tour?

Partners in Crime: https://www.partnersincrimetours.net/

 

Need a proofreader? I’ve got you covered - https://www.melissaproofs.com/

 

Hero Haters by Ken MacQueen Blog Tour/Book Review

I received a gifted copy and am providing a review.

I took a chance on this book as the premise sounded interesting to me. I found myself engrossed and reading 200 pages in a day. I was literally trying to figure out how things tied together as it seemed disjointed in the beginning, but then it finally clicked and I had that a-ha moment … you know the one, where everything ties together and you finally “get” it. There are quite a few smaller stories intermixed with the main one.

Sedgewick Medallions are given to “heroes” throughout the U.S. The medallions represent acts of heroism, which are carefully vetted. One such person who vets for Sedgewick is Jake Ockham. Jake has also returned home to Centralia to work at his Aunt Clara’s local newspaper; his dad happens to be in the area as well. (Check out that backstory, the one between Clara and Roger, Jake’s dad.) Jake is minding his own affairs when a medallion comes up for sale; this is almost unheard of. The thing is … the asking price was way too low. While this is going on, a new doctor comes to town, Tina Doctorow. (Check out her story!) She has ties to the community that run far deeper than anything Jake was expecting.

Essentially, some medallion winners go missing. Sedgewick doesn’t want to get involved. Jake chases the story with the help of Erik to find an answer that he wasn’t expecting, where the past and present collide in what Jake, as a reporter, searches for - the truth.

I will warn readers, however, this book is not for the faint of heart. The descriptions of what happens to some folks is quite realistic, to those who may be more sensitive. I suspect, if it was cast right, this would make for a good movie, creepy, but good.

 

Purchase Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Hero-Haters-Ken-Macqueen/dp/1509243852/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1662900692&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hero-haters-ken-macqueen/1141765523?ean=9781509243853

 

Find Mr. MacQueen:

Website: https://kenmacqueen.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kmqyvr/

BookBub: (not on BB, 09/11/2022)

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22701710.Ken_MacQueen

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kmqyvr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kmqyvr/

 

Interested in your own book tour?

Partners in Crime: https://www.partnersincrimetours.net/

 

Need a proofreader? I’ve got you covered - https://www.melissaproofs.com/