New Release Review – And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling #NetGalley @PPPress

Posted on June 14, 2022 by fundinmental

I would like to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I found the characters for And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling very interesting, a gay policeman, a missing girl with diabetes…and what happens when two kids break into a man’s house to steal his prescription drugs….

Seems there are a lot of secrets for a small town. But, we all know, sooner or later, they will be exposed. In the meantime, some will do anything to protect themselves.

The clock is ticking and time is running out.

I love watching the characters as they walk through the pages, some worse than others. They remind me of how fragile live is. Is everyone either good or bad? I love villains that make me wonder…and we have many to choose from. The whys are intriguing. Nature or nurture seems to come up when dealing with drug addiction, murder, serial killers…

I didn’t take many notes as I read, but I will commend Joshua Moehling for a job well done for his first novel. I look forward to watching him grow and develop his writing. I foresee good things for him.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of And There He Kept Her by Joshua Moehling.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREAD BLURB

“A dark and complex mystery that will consume you, starring a protagonist who is equal parts quirky Milhone and steady Gamache.”—Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight

They thought he was a helpless old man. They were wrong.

When two teenagers break into a house on a remote lake in search of prescription drugs, what starts as a simple burglary turns into a nightmare for all involved. Emmett Burr has secrets he’s been keeping in his basement for more than two decades, and he’ll do anything to keep his past from being revealed. As he gets the upper hand on his tormentors, the lines blur between victim, abuser, and protector.

Personal tragedy has sent former police officer Ben Packard back to the small Minnesota town of Sandy Lake in search of a fresh start. Now a sheriff’s deputy, Packard is leading the investigation into the missing teens, motivated by a family connection. As clues dry up and time runs out to save them, Packard is forced to reveal his own secrets and dig deep to uncover the dark past of the place he now calls home.

Unrelentingly suspenseful and written with a piercing gaze into the dark depths of the human soul, And There He Kept Her is a thrilling page-turner that introduces readers to a complicated new hero and forces us to consider the true nature of evil.

ABOUT JOSHUA MOEHLING

This is Joshua Moehling’s debut novel. I was unable to find any information at this time.

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New Release – The Woman In The Library by Sulari Gentill #NetGalley @sularigentill

Posted on June 8, 2022 by fundinmental

I would like to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review The Woman In The LIbrary by Sulari Gentill.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

“It’s part him, part me, part stuff I made up…The magic formula…”

And that is part of the reason I grabbed Sulari Gentill’s novel, The Woman In The Library. The other reasons, a library mystery, Boston, a town I have visited many times, and a murder. I love mystery/thrillers and I so wanted to love The Woman In The Library…but I found it was not for me.

I was confused about numerous things and the story never grabbed me. I was about a third of the way through and started skimming. I do not like to DNF books. I know authors put their blood, sweat, and tears into their work, so I always want to finish. It was a good thing that at 53% my curiosity arose. I wanted to know, who is the murderer. I thought of skipping to the end to find out, but held back.

Not every book works for me and I am sure that is the same for you and just because The Woman In The Library by Sulari Gentill was not my cup of tea, that doesn’t mean it won’t work for you.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Woman In The Library by Sulari Gentill.

GOODREADS BLURB

In every person’s story, there is something to hide…

The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman’s terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who’d happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.

Award-winning author Sulari Gentill delivers a sharply thrilling read with The Woman in the Library, an unexpectedly twisty literary adventure that examines the complicated nature of friendship and shows us that words can be the most treacherous weapons of all.

ABOUT SULARI GENTILL

Once upon a time, Sulari Gentill was a corporate lawyer serving as a director on public boards, with only a vague disquiet that there was something else she was meant to do. That feeling did not go away until she began to write. And so Sulari became the author of the Rowland Sinclair Mysteries: thus far, ten historical crime novels chronicling the life and adventures of her 1930s Australian gentleman artist, the Hero Trilogy, based on the myths and epics of the ancient world, and the Ned Kelly Award winning Crossing the Lines (published in the US as After She Wrote Hime). In 2014 she collaborated with National Gallery of Victoria to write a short story which was produced in audio to feature in the Fashion Detective Exhibition, and thereafter published by the NGV. IN 2019 Sulari was part of a 4-member delegation of Australian crime writers sponsored by the Australia Council to tour the US as ambassadors of Australian Crime Writing.

Sulari lives with her husband, Michael, and their boys, Edmund and Atticus, on a small farm in Batlow where she grows French Black Truffles and refers to her writing as “work” so that no one will suggest she get a real job.

Website / Twitter

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Frozen In Time – Girl In Ice by Erica Ferencik @EricaFerencik #GirlInIce #NetGalley

Posted on March 10, 2022 by fundinmental

LOVE LOVE LOVE that cover and the title is a perfect fit, or is it the other way around?

I wonder which came first, the title or the cover?

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

First off, I would like to thank Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Girl In Ice by Erica Ferencik. It blew me away. I loved everything about it, from the title, to the cover, to the story inside.

The Girl In Ice was thawed out by the research team studying climate change on an island off the coast of Greenland. The Arctic Circle…I can’t imagine being there at any time, let alone when danger lurks. Where will it come from? I figured it out pretty quick, but I could not be certain. Didn’t matter anyway. The writing kept me glued to the pages.

Valerie ‘Val’ Chesterfield was already somewhat acquainted with the research being carried out. Her brother, Andy, had been a part of it…until he was found outside, frozen. Well, that makes me very suspicious. When the Girl In Ice was found and no one could understand her, Val, being a linguist who specialized in Nordic languages, was called in to help. She didn’t believe the story about her brother, so now she can find out for herself what really happened.

The Girl In Ice is desperately trying to communicate with them.

I love when an author can include things that interest me, like climate change. It makes the story more believable, except for the girl in the ice coming to life. I don’t think I can believe that could happen, but hey, there are those that believe in cryogenics, so…….

I watched Val grow, change, develop into an strong, independent, loyal person that has yet to find her place in the world, but happy to be in it.

The world building was so realistically created that I almost believed I could feel the cold, hear the snow squeaking under my feet, and it made me wonder…about what research Erica Ferencik did. Her detailed descriptions allowed her to paint so vividly with words an environment so harsh, otherworldly…and I was lost in it.

A sense of danger arose early and hung on every page. I had a feeling about some things that come to pass, but Erica Ferencik supplied plenty of book surprises to keep me on my toes. I ignored everything around me, except coffee and restroom breaks. I read hundreds of books a year, so that is not any easy thing to do.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Girl In Ice by Erica Ferencik.

GOODREADS BLURB

From the author of The River at Night and Into the Jungle comes a harrowing new thriller set in the unforgiving landscape of the Arctic Circle, as a brilliant linguist struggling to understand the apparent suicide of her twin brother ventures hundreds of miles north to try to communicate with a young girl who has thawed from the ice alive.

Valerie “Val” Chesterfield is a linguist trained in the most esoteric of disciplines: dead Nordic languages. Despite her successful career, she leads a sheltered life and languishes in the shadow of her twin brother Andy, an accomplished climate scientist stationed on a remote island off Greenland’s barren coast. But Andy is gone: a victim of suicide, having willfully ventured unprotected into 50 degree below zero weather. Val is inconsolable—and disbelieving. She suspects foul play.

When Wyatt, Andy’s fellow researcher in the Arctic, discovers a scientific impossibility—a young girl frozen in the ice who thaws out alive, speaking a language no one understands—Val is his first call. Will she travel to the frozen North and meet this girl, try to comprehend what she is so passionately trying to communicate? Under the auspices of helping Wyatt interpret the girl’s speech, Val musters every ounce of her courage and journeys to the Artic to solve the mystery of her brother’s death.

The moment she steps off the plane, her fear threatens to overwhelm her. The landscape is fierce, and Wyatt, brilliant but difficult, is an enigma. But the girl is special, and Val’s connection with her is profound. Only something is terribly wrong; the child is sick, maybe dying, and the key to saving her lies in discovering the truth about Wyatt’s research. Can his data be trusted? And does it have anything to do with how and why Val’s brother died? With time running out, Val embarks on an incredible frozen odyssey—led by the unlikeliest of guides—to rescue the new family she has found in the most unexpected of places.

ABOUT ERICA FERENCIK

Oprah chose Erica Ferencik’s debut novel, The River at Night as a #1 Pick, calling the book “the page-turning novel you’ve been waiting for, a heart-pounding debut.” Entertainment Weekly named it a “Must Read,” and calls the novel “harrowing…a visceral, white knuckle rush.” Miramax has recently optioned the novel for a film.
Her new novel, Into the Jungle, one woman’s terrifying journey of survival in the Bolivian Amazon, will be released on May 28, 2019. Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review, calling it: “[A] ferocious fever dream of a thriller…Ferencik delivers an alternately terrifying and exhilarating tale.” Her work has appeared in Salon and The Boston Globe, as well as on National Public Radio.

Website / Twitter / Facebook

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Dark Screams – Short Story Horror Anthology

Posted on August 22, 2015 by fundinmental

If you are into horror, a few Dark Screams are a necessity.

The cool cover was designed by TK.

Add me to Goodreads now.

Dark Screams has a little something for everyone.

I believe you will recognize some of these names.

Weeds by Stephen King

Jordy Verrell was the first one to reach the meteor. It was better than fireworks. He doused it with water and it broke apart. Uh oh. He wasn’t the sharpest tack in the box. He had a bad feeling about what’ s inside and so did I. I love Stephen King’s writing. He comes up with come creepy and original ideas. I have most of his books and I am always eager to see what he comes up with next. I couldn’t really get creeped out. Weeds made me laugh as I pictured it – like a B movie. 3 Stars

The Price You Pay by Kelly Armstrong

Ingrid and Kara were drunk. Ingrid took a cab home, but wanted to move her new car to the parking lot next door. When Ingrid gets in the car, Kara steps on the gas and heads home. Uh oh…I have a weird feeling. I think this will end very badly. When the past catches up to you, it can be deadly. The Price You Pay is full of terror, torture and betrayal. Enough twists and turns, I didn’t see the end. Loved it. 4 Stars

Magic Eyes by Bill Pronzini

Edward James Tolliver is in a mental asylum, accused of killing his wife. He calls his meds zombie cocktails. Edward continually professes his innocence. .He is certain the Doctor will read the diary he told him to write, so he protects what he thinks, not telling all. OK Is he or isn’t he guilty? Ts there more going on then meets the eye? Where Bill Pronzini takes this is fantastic. I should have seen it coming, but I was so into the story I didn’t even realize it was the end until there were no words left. 4 Stars

Murder in Chains by Simon Clark.

Could you keep your cool if you woke up chained neck to neck to a brutal psycho? Sufficiently scary, but I am confused by the ending. Am I missing something? 2 Stars

The Watched by Ramsey Cambbell.

I have read some of his work and enjoyed it, so finding his name in the Dark Screams anthology was a nice surprise. Jimmy was involuntarily recruited by the cop to spy on his druggie neighbors. Are there ghosts? Be careful. Karma has a way of balancing the good and the bad. When cornered, how will Jimmy perform? Enjoyed the story. 3 Stars

I enjoyed the collection and would read more of the Dark Scream anthologies.

I received a copy of Dark Screams from Net Galley in return for an honest and unbiased review.

4 Stars

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Review: A Dexter-ish & Dark Suspense Thriller – Hades by Candice Fox

Posted on February 6, 2015 by fundinmental

HADES by Candice Fox

A Dexter-ish twist to this debut thriller.

This novel had me on the edge of my seat. Candice Fox had some twists and turns that surprised and amazed me. One, especially. I felt it coming, but didn’t want it to happen. I love when an author can keep me guessing, is she really gonna do that? And the ending? Awesome and I can hardly wait to read the next book!

Is there a book that stands out in YOUR mind where the author kept YOU guessing until the very end?

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MY REVIEW

Covers are very important to me and this one spoke volumes. I knew something bad would happen, but the butterfly made me wonder if there was a ray of hope for the girl. What do you think?

I read the blurb and it said Dexter-ish, so that only peaked my interest more. I loved the show and the books and was left wanting more, just like Hades.

The book starts out dark and grim and stays that way. The descriptions and details make me cringe at the Hell I have entered. This is Candice’s debut novel and she knocked it out of the ballpark. So, come with me, into this evil and dangerous world of human monsters. Because, yes, there is more than one human being that doesn’t deserve to draw breath in our world.

Hades – Lord of the Underworld. He creates sculptures from junk, believing things should not be so easily tossed aside, just like Eden and Eric, brother and sister. They exude danger. He did not seek them out, but he will not give them up. They give him hope, where he had none before. How does he end up with “family?” That is a mystery worth finding out for yourself.

Eden – a loner, switchblade in hand, manicured yet ready for battle.

Eric – well, what can I say about Eric. Nothing good.

Frank – a detective, selfish, arrogant. Eden’s new partner, which she isn’t that happy about.

Jason – serial killer and psychopath. He had been abused and was puzzled by feelings, both animal and human. They are beyond his understanding. But, he is so much more than just your run of the mill serial killer.

When I didn’t think think it could get any worse, it did, and in a big way.

What breeds a serial killer? The age old question – Nature or nuture?

We all have our beliefs and boundaries. Desperation will cause people to justify their actions, no matter how grotesque and horrendous.

I watch a lot of crime shows and read a lot of crime books, both fact and fiction, trying to get a glimpse into their minds. How does a serial killer and psychopath think? How can they do the things they do? I have yet to be able to understand. I just can’t see it. I believe they are so damaged and evil, they cannot be redeemed. Do the ones who catch them have to become them?

When Eden and Frank talked to Derek and Eliza, my anger and rage went off the charts. I would have loved to pull out a gun and shoot them on the spot. How in the world can they plead for mercy after what they have done?

And Martina – OMG.

OMG – I knew it was coming, but damn, I didn’t see it coming this way. I kept telling Candice, no, please don’t do it. Hello “Dexter”. I can’t believe it took me this long for it all to come together. The two different, yet connected storylines fooled me. This is such a great approach to the serial killer. I love the twists to a well known storyline.

I was blown away by Candice Fox’s debut novel. She got me on the cliff and made me hang there, wanting to read more, yet afraid to go on. I was pissed, enraged, terrified and heartbroken. The ending – I can’t get over it. Candice had surprise after surprise in store for me and I loved every minute of it.

More to come in Eden, Book II. Check out the book cover below. That is how I felt while reading Hades.

I received Hades by Candice Fox from Net Galley in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 5 Stars – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

SYNOPSIS

A dark, compelling and original thriller that will have you spellbound from its atmospheric opening pages to its shocking climax. Hades is the debut of a stunning new talent in crime fiction.

Hades Archer, the man they call the Lord of the Underworld, surrounds himself with the things others leave behind. Their trash becomes the twisted sculptures that line his junkyard. The bodies they want disposed of become his problem for a fee. Then one night a man arrives on his doorstep, clutching a small bundle that he wants ‘lost’. And Hades makes a decision that will change everything…

Twenty years later, homicide detective Frank Bennett feels like the luckiest man on the force when he meets his new partner, the dark and beautiful Eden Archer. But there’s something strange about Eden and her brother, Eric. Something he can’t quite put his finger on. When the two detectives are called to the scene of an attempted drowning, they find a traumatized victim telling a story that’s hard to believe – until the divers start bringing up bodies.

Frank is now on the hunt for a very different kind of serial killer: one who offers the sick and dying hope at murderous cost. At first, his partner’s sharp instincts come in handy. Soon, he’s wondering if she’s as dangerous as the man they hunt.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Candice Fox is the middle child of a large, eccentric family from Sydney’s western suburbs composed of half-, adopted and pseudo siblings. The daughter of a prison parole officer and an enthusiastic foster-carer, Candice spent many of her early Christmases travelling to Long Bay Correctional Facility in the family minibus to knock on prison cell windows, run around the razor-wired yard and eat fruitcake prepared by inmates. While her mother and stepfather developed an ever-growing mob of Sydney’s most disadvantaged children throughout her later youth, entertainment had to be cheap. She spent her school holidays exploring free, open spaces – farms, bushland and cemeteries.

As a cynical and trouble-making teenager, her crime and gothic fiction writing was an escape from the calamity of her home life.

Bankstown born and bred, she failed to conform to military life in a brief stint as an officer in the Royal Australian Navy at age eighteen. At twenty, she turned her hand to academia, and taught high school through two undergraduate and two postgraduate degrees. She currently works lecturing writing at the University of Notre Dame while undertaking a PhD in literary censorship and terrorism.

She recently won the Ned Kelly Award for Best Crime Fiction.

Website / Goodreads.

Do you think the butterfly signifies a ray of hope?

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Guilt by Association by Marcia Clark – Review

Posted on November 1, 2014 by fundinmental

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MY REVIEW

Marcia Clark is a former LA, CA District Attorney. She was a lead prosecutor in the O J Simpson murder case. How could I possibly turn down an opportunity to read her debut novel. I cannot help but be curious about her writing ability.

Guilt By Association is the first book in the Rachel Knight series.

Rachel is part of Special Trials, an elite unit that prosecutes high profile cases. She deals with the wealthy and politically connected . When her partner dies, she can’t leave it alone.

She breaks the rules and makes no bones about it; whether its carrying an unregistered firearm or ignoring an order to cease and desist investigating a case. Sounds a bit like Brenda on The Closer.

She seems a bit high brow and condescending at times, but I feel that is just the world she lives and works in. Sometimes I liked her and sometimes I didn’t. She’s one of those people that bulls through life, not always aware of how she treats others. She does instill a sense of loyalty in her friends and coworkers.

I got well acquainted with the characters through their work, dinner conversations and nights out.

Marcia Clark includes a lot of small details in her writing. It would make a walk to her office become so vivid, I felt like I was walking with her, like watching a mother scold a child after picking up a gum wrapper off the ground. The down side to that is the story would get dogged down and the pace became slow. I like a lot of action.

Marcia’s legal experience showed in the writing, sometimes it was a bit stiff and dry. At times it was like reading a diary. A little bit of work scaling out some of the minutiae and loosening it up with a bit more action would take it up a notch.

That being said, I didn’t for one minute considered putting it down. I enjoyed the story, with all its twists and turns. I couldn’t figure out the ends of the multiple storylines and how it was going to come together. I wasn’t quitting until I did.

A bit of humor never hurts either.

COW – Criminals with Out Witnesses

Marcia Clark’s debut novel, Guilt By Association, is a mystery with multiple storylines that comes together in a conclusion that left me satisfied. I would recommend her work and look forward to reading more.

I received this book from the publisher, Mulholland Books via Net Galley, in return for an honest and unbiased review.

3 Stars – Would Recommend To Others

SYNOPSIS

Los Angeles D.A. Rachel Knight is a tenacious, wise-cracking, and fiercely intelligent prosecutor in the city’s most elite division. When her colleague, Jake, is found dead at a grisly crime scene, Rachel is shaken to the core. She must take over his toughest case: the assault of a young woman from a prominent family.

But she can’t stop herself from digging deeper into Jake’s death, a decision that exposes a world of power and violence and will have her risking her reputation–and her life–to find the truth.

With her tremendous expertise in the nuances of L.A. courts and crime, and with a vibrant ensemble cast of characters, Marcia Clark combines intimate detail, riotous humor, and visceral action in a debut thriller that marks the launch of a major new figure on the crime-writing scene.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marcia Clark is a former LA, California deputy district attorney, who was the lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder case. She wrote a bestselling nonfiction book about the trial, Without a Doubt, and is a frequent media commentator and columnist on legal issues. She lives in Los Angeles.

Author links: Website / Goodreads

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