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!