Lethal Target By: Janice Cantore

Back of the book

Police Chief Tess O’Rourke thought she’d taken care of her small town’s drug problem last year. But now Rogue’s Hollow residents are up in arms over a contentious vote on legalizing the sale of marijuana within city limits. And when an eighteen-year-old is found dead of a possible overdose, Tess wonders if the local pot farms might be involved and begins to fear that a new, deadlier drug supply chain has cropped up. As tempers flare and emotions boil over, Tess faces the possibility of losing the town’s support.

With her relationship to Sergeant Steve Logan on shaky ground, Tess could really use a friend, and she feels drawn to Pastor Oliver Macpherson’s quiet presence. But the anger she holds over her father’s death prevents her from embracing his faith and finding peace.

Battling storms within and without, Tess is shocked when a familiar face from her past shows up in town to stir up more trouble. And his threats against Tess may prove lethal.

My Thoughts

I normally shy away from reading book sequels (especially if I liked how the first book ended), and yet I found myself picking up Lethal Target because Janice Cantore is a fabulous author.  The writing is excellent and the tension and suspense is palpable throughout the entire novel, so be prepared.  Tess continues to be a strong character and Oliver plays a much larger roll than in the first book and he was easy to like.  BUT, being a sequel that picks up 6 months after Crisis Shot, you must read that first, because so much of this book is just a continuation of Crisis Shot.

Things Left Unsaid By: Courtney Walsh

Back of the book

Lyndie St. James is thrilled that her best friend, Elle, is getting married but unprepared for the emotional storm of the wedding week and returning to her childhood summer home of Sweethaven. The idyllic cottage community harbors some of her best—and worst—memories. It’s not only the tragic death of her childhood friend Cassie that has haunted her for ten years, it’s the other secrets she’s buried that have kept her from moving on.

But Lyndie isn’t the only one with secrets.

Cassie’s mother, father and brother, still struggling with the loss, have been drifting further and further apart. And Elle herself, the last to see Cassie alive, carries an impossible burden of guilt. Now reunited, each of them has a choice: to reveal the truths of that night or continue to live in its shadow. That means embarking on a personal journey of the heart—to escape the darkness and all its regrets and to finally come to terms with the past and, especially, with each other.

My thoughts

Walsh's novels always make you think about your life and make you ask how could I improve or what should I do different. Things Left Unsaid is by far the most profound, thought provoking, and emotional novel I have read by Walsh.  Things Left Unsaid is beautifully written, with wonderful dialog but it's the in-between that sets it apart.  The inner turmoil, thoughts, and personal discoveries that put this book at the top of my reading list.  Lyndie, Elle and Tucker (Cassie's brother) are all stand out characters but it's Karen (Cassie's Mother) that binds this novel together.  Another 5 star novel that everyone should read.

Stratagem By: Robin Caroll

Back of the book

A High-Stakes Simulation Adventure Leaves Grayson Thibodeaux the Prime Suspect. . .for Murder

Deep in the gritty underbelly of New Orleans, psychologist Grayson Thibodeaux loses everything when his wife leaves him to climb her company’s corporate ladder. He buries himself in his job of creating mind-bending adventure games for businesses as team-building explorations. When his ex-wife’s company hires Grayson’s to create an elaborate game, he doesn’t see how things can get worse. Until she dies during the course of the game he created…making him the prime suspect for murder.

My Thoughts

Fantastic!!  Everything about this books is spot on.  The plot is original, well thought out, and executed smoothly.  The characters are perfect, their personalities not only helped move the story along in a seamless way, but also mold the mystery.  Lastly the writing style, most of Stratagem is interviews that the detectives make and a few chapters of dialog.  Every interview twisted the story and yet helped the pieces align.  It wasn't until the last chapter that everything fell into place and that to me is the perfect thriller.

Burden of Proof By: Diann Mills

Back of the Book

Reeling from a negotiation gone wrong, FBI Special Agent April Ramos is caught off guard when a frazzled young woman shoves a crying baby into her arms, then disappears. Worry for the child’s safety quickly turns to fear when a man claiming to be the girl’s father abducts them at gunpoint. April puts her hostage negotiation skills to use to learn more about who she’s dealing with: Jason Snyder, a fugitive accused of murder.

As Jason spins a tall tale about being framed for the killing of his business partner, April must sort through his claims to find the truth. A truth that becomes all the more evident after April overhears a conversation between Jason and the local sheriff and realizes something more sinister may be happening in their small town of Sweet Briar, Texas. But aligning herself with a known fugitive to uncover the burden of proof could cost April her job . . . or worse, her life and the lives of other innocent people.

My Thoughts

Burden of Proof is by far one of the hardest books for me to understand. The first few chapters were so packed with information and people that I almost put it down, but I'm happy that I stuck it out.  Once I got people figured out, well at least who they all were; it became a fast paced book full of twist and turns.  True to Diann Mills writing I always felt I knew who was good and bad but over and over was proven wrong.  Buy the book, trug through the first few chapters of information, and then enjoy, I know I did!

Hidden Among The Stars By: Melanie Dobson

Back of the book

The year is 1938, and as Hitler’s troops sweep into Vienna, Austrian Max Dornbach promises to help his Jewish friends hide their most valuable possessions from the Nazis, smuggling them to his family’s summer estate near the picturesque village of Hallstatt. He enlists the help of Annika Knopf, his childhood friend and the caretaker’s daughter, who is eager to help the man she’s loved her entire life. But when Max also brings Luzia Weiss, a young Jewish woman, to hide at the castle, it complicates Annika’s feelings and puts their entire plan—even their very lives—in jeopardy. Especially when the Nazis come to scour the estate and find both Luzia and the treasure gone.

Eighty years later, Callie Randall is mostly content with her quiet life, running a bookstore with her sister and reaching out into the world through her blog. Then she finds a cryptic list in an old edition of Bambi that connects her to Annika’s story . . . and maybe to the long-buried story of a dear friend. As she digs into the past, Callie must risk venturing outside the safe world she’s built for a chance at answers, adventure, and maybe even new love.

My Thoughts

Melanie Dobson has once again written an emotionally gripping novel bridging the gap between WWII and the present.  With smooth writing and an amazing plot Hidden Among The Stars is a heavy novel but well worth reading.  Every time I read a book by Melanie Dobson I am touched by the challenge faced by those in the WWII era and an equal level of awe at what others did to help those who suffered.  Definitely a novel worth reading and one that will give you a view to the past you could never imagine.

A Secret To Die For By: Lisa Harris

Back of the Book

Psychologist Grace Callahan has no idea that she has a secret--one worth killing for. But when she finds out one of her clients has been murdered, she quickly realizes that the computer security specialist wasn't simply suffering from paranoia.

Detective Nate Quinn has just been cleared for active duty after a bombing killed eighteen people, including his partner, and left him dealing with PTSD. His first case back on the job involves the murder of Stephen Shaw, and his only lead turns out to be an old friend, Grace Callahan--and her life is in grave danger. Someone believes Shaw gave his psychologist information before he died. Information they are willing to kill for.

With her signature pulse-pounding suspense, Lisa Harris takes readers deep into the heart of fear in this race against the clock.

My Thoughts

From the first page to the last A Secret To Die For never slows down.  With a few twist and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat, and with each character introduction another piece seems to fall into place.  I liked the plot of the story but must admit some of the details went over my head.  At first details were easy to understand and then all of a sudden ‘expert level’.  And while I wished I understood some parts better, the book was still entertaining, and a great thriller that everyone can enjoy.

An Hour Unspent By: Roseanna M. White

Back of the Book

Once London's top thief, Barclay Pearce has turned his back on his life of crime and now uses his skills for a nation at war. But not until he rescues a clockmaker's daughter from a mugging does he begin to wonder what his future might hold.

Evelina Manning has constantly fought for independence, but she certainly never meant for it to inspire her fiancé to end the engagement and enlist in the army. When the intriguing man who saved her returns to the Manning residence to study clockwork repair with her father, she can't help being interested. But she soon learns that nothing with Barclay Pearce is as simple as it seems.

As 1915 England plunges ever deeper into war, the work of an ingenious clockmaker may give England an unbeatable military edge--and Germany realizes it as well. Evelina's father soon finds his whole family in danger--and it may just take a reformed thief to steal the time they need to escape.

My Thoughts

An Hour Unspent is fantastic and a joy to read.  Barclay has always been the strong quiet background character so I wasn't sure how he would hold up being front and center.  Yet just a few pages into An Hour Unspent changed everything.  Barclay is entertaining, kind and his scenes were just simple and perfect.  Evelina is a little standoff'ish but perfectly written and as the book went on she became fascinating.  Yet the one character that really pulled the book together is her father, his personality and the relationship he built with Barclay made this book perfect.