Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks.
Four tales of extreme suspense and mystery aimed at getting the heart pumping. Hard. A soldier on D-Day finds an enemy soldier acting very strangely indeed; a jilted husband creates a grisly scavenger hunt; a marriage reconciliation service ABSOLUTELY guarantees positive results—the question is, how? And more!
Turn out the lights and enter a bizarre world, but remember—don’t go in the basement!
This edition:
Format: 57 pages, Kindle Edition
Published: February 4, 2013
Language: English
Goodreads Ratings: 5.00 – 2 ratings – 2 reviews
I addedFour Tales To Midnight by Lee Enderlin to my TBR on 3.9.13. Sometimes a quick scare fits the bill. How about you? Do you read anthologies and short stories?
The old time feel of the cover and the Route 66 sign made me pause and check out Three Mile Smile by Chad Lutzke. The premise, a diner cook and a hot female customer, made me think of a twisted version of Thelma and Louise. It’s not believable, but isn’t that the meaning of fiction? An author has artistic license to make the story whatever they want it to be.
I’ve seen Chad Lutzke’s name around the blogosphere and he has a lot of books to his credit, so I decided to give him a shot. He has a quirky writing style and I felt there was some humor involved, along with the danger and murder.
I gave Three Mile Smile by Chad Lutzke a three star rating, because, after reading it, I would still give another book a shot, and I think others may enjoy his writing style more than I. I did read it in one sitting. I had to know how it would end, and, there was a surprise or two, including the ending.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Three Mile Smile by Chad Lutzke.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Glover, Texas has three restaurants, two gas stations, and its very own underground crime syndicate. Other than that, the town’s about as lively as roadkill. That’s been Cake Donaldson’s experience, anyway.
Cake flips burgers at the local diner on Route 66 for the same mouths day in, day out. Life is simple. Too simple. So, when an attractive older woman shows up with a spontaneous proposition—a sex-filled road trip full of adventure—he bites the hook.
Unfortunately for him, she leaves out some details, like what’s in the trunk of her car, and just how bad her husband wants it.
A cat and mouse crime thriller that meets True Romance with The Graduate.
ABOUT CHAD LUTZKE
Chad has written for Famous Monsters of Filmland, Rue Morgue, Cemetery Dance, and Scream magazine. He’s had dozens of short stories published, and some of his books include: OF FOSTER HOMES & FLIES, STIRRING THE SHEETS, SKULLFACE BOY, THE SAME DEEP WATER AS YOU, THE PALE WHITE, THE NEON OWL and OUT BEHIND THE BARN co-written with John Boden. Lutzke’s work has been praised by authors Jack Ketchum, Richard Chizmar, Joe R. Lansdale, Stephen Graham Jones, Tim Waggoner and his own mother.
Join me in celebrating the release of the newest standalone romance in the Sometimes Love Happens Collection. WHEN YOU BREAK GIRL CODE by J. L. Lora delivers a steamy romance with a side of suspense you won’t want to miss! Check out an excerpt before grabbing your copy! Be sure to enter the giveaway.
She just meant to do an associate a favor. After she’s blamed for murder, can she prove her innocence before she’s permanently canceled?
Mila Rosario is walking on cloud nine. Thrilled with her huge promotion, the marketing genius reluctantly covers for a co-worker by distracting the woman’s hot and well-heeled boyfriend. But when their instant connection turns into a sizzling night in the sheets, she’s horrified to wake in her new lover’s arms and discover her work friend has fallen prey to a killer.
Biting her tongue about the affair when talking to the cops, she lands on the suspect list and the perp doxxes her to social media’s wrath. And as those around her start dropping dead, the curvy beauty fears even her handsome protector can’t save her from a grisly end.
Can Mila outwit a murderous stalker closing in for the kill?
When You Break Girl Code is the dramatic standalone fourth book in the Sometimes Love Happens contemporary romance series. If you like characters who grow, terrifying stakes, and plenty of steam, then you’ll adore J. L. Lora’s explosive chemistry.
Teaser
I calculated the risk. I don’t know how good the reward is going to be. But I’ve made my investment, and I don’t want to turn back. I want to find out what it would be like to have her. The ball is in Mila’s court. I’m giving her the chance to call all the shots. Well… kinda. I insist on driving her home. There’s no way I would let her get in an Uber, though that would have been the safest thing for us. Safe is not what I’m going for, though. I left safe way behind after our first drink. Further cemented when I sent Madison the message breaking it off. She doesn’t care enough to answer me. I don’t care anymore, either. I did what I had to do and closed the door. Tomorrow, I will call her and make sure we stay friends, for our families. She’s obviously okay because she kept texting her friend. But she’s gone right out of my mind because I’m pulling over in front of Mila’s building. “It’s really nice of you to drive me home, and thank you for dinner.” She’s not even looking at me while she says it. “Mila.” I wait until she turns to me. “Thank you for a great evening.” She smiles like she’s relieved. Then leans over to kiss my cheek and lingers. The warmth of her lips clings to my skin. The air conditioner breeze cools it down almost immediately. When she pulls back, the heat in her eyes that matches the one surging inside me. I see all I need. I don’t calculate. I don’t leave it up to her. I swoop in and crush my lips to hers. Her reaction is immediate. She opens her mouth for me and I taste our whole evening in her tongue, traces of sweetness, spices, desire, and danger. She pulls back and we stare at each other. The message is in her eyes. We crossed the line. She opens her mouth, but I beat whatever she’s going to say. “Invite me in.” Her eyes round, her lips drift apart, but she says nothing. And I should take that as her answer. “We really shouldn’t…” That’s not a no. She knows it too. “But we want to…” She nods. “And we’re going to.” Again, not a question because my answer is her glowing eyes. .
About the Author
J. L. Lora is a Dominican-American author of contemporary and romantic suspense. Her stories explore the dark side of good characters—people living in the gray areas of life—playing the cards life has dealt them. Her stories manifest her love for badass alpha heroines and take-your-breath-away alpha men.
When a price is placed on her head, Maggie must face the terroristic mastermind to save her lover’s life without betraying her most loyal friend.
Evil Triumphs Only if Good Women Do Nothing
A year after hunting down the terrorist who killed her fiancé, CIA analyst Maggie Jenkins finds herself with a price on her head. In retaliation for chasing and killing an elite member of a terrorist cell, Maggie now is on the hitlist of the mastermind behind numerous terrorist attacks.
With Maggie’s movements severely restricted by the presence of a round-the-clock security detail, it’s up to her boss, Warner Thompson, and CIA officer Roger Patterson to find and eliminate the terrorist who stalks her. But when a shadowy Russian operative surfaces and presents Maggie with intel that might lead her to the man who orchestrated her fiancé’s death, she can no longer watch from the sidelines. Is she willing to risk her growing relationship with Roger, Warner’s career, and her own life to finally get justice and bring down a major terrorist cell?
Book Details:
Genre: Espionage Thriller Published by: CamCat Publishing Publication Date: April 2023 Number of Pages: 368 ISBN: 9780744308723 (ISBN10: 0744308720) Series: The Wayward Series, Book 3 | Each is a Stand-Alone Book Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | CamCat Books
Read an excerpt:
CHAPTER ONE
Tyson’s Fitness and Health Club McLean, Virginia, Sunday, June 12, 2005
Maggie Jenkins increased the pace on the treadmill, her auburn ponytail swaying like a pendulum with every step. She’d boosted her workout regimen over the past several months and the results showed—firm, muscular legs, a trim waist, and well-defined arms. Last fall, Roger had convinced her to join him at the gym. It’ll be good for you, he’d promised. Get you out of the house, get your mind off everything.
Everything. It was his catch-all word for what she’d been through.
The terrorist attacks. Zara. All the bloodshed.
An image of hundreds of terrified children flashed in her mind.
No! She upped the treadmill speed. The faster she ran—the more her body ached—the easier it was to fight off the memories. The gym had become her therapy, sweat her medication. After several months of intensive exercise, she’d begun to sleep better. The nightmares came less often. But every now and then, like last night, the images crept into her dreams and she woke in a cold sweat, stomach churning, pulse pounding. She knew what had triggered it: the hearing on Capitol Hill about the school siege.
Nearby, a man hopped off a stationary bike, grabbed a remote control from the weight rack, and jacked up the volume on the television hanging on the wall. Maggie shot him a look in the mirror, but he didn’t notice, absorbed as he was in the breaking news blaring from the TV.
She snatched her headphones and MP3 player from the treadmill console. Volume cranked, the lyrics from “Refugee” filled her ears. The man stood, staring up at the TV. Maggie squinted to read the graphic scrolling across the bottom of the screen.
terrorist issues threat.
Now what? Another Bin Laden missive from some cave in Afghanistan? She didn’t want to think about work on her day off. The latest violence and mayhem, whether domestic or international, could wait. In a few weeks, she’d be headed to the beach for a getaway with Roger. After the gym, she planned to go shopping. A new bathing suit, sandals, and a sundress or two were in order. Thoughts of the trip were interrupted by movement on her left. Several more people had abandoned their workouts and gathered in front of the TV. She tugged out an earphone and caught the anchor mid-sentence.
“—videoed in what British authorities say was his former residence in London.”
The screen filled with the image of an upholstered chair standing before a vivid abstract painting hung on an otherwise blank white wall. The view darkened for a moment as someone in a blue shirt passed in front of the chair. The person turned and sat, his face level with the camera.
Maggie’s fingers punched frantically at the treadmill’s off button. She stumbled as it came to a sudden stop, sending her flying forward, her face missing the console by millimeters.
“You okay?” a male voice asked.
She regained her footing, her breath heavy, the weight on her chest suddenly unbearable. “Yeah,” she said without looking at him.
“Our brave and glorious martyrs have their reward in paradise. Those responsible for their deaths will be hunted down and executed.”
Behind the gaggle of people watching Imran Bukayev speak, Maggie’s knees went weak. Those responsible? He meant her. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment before turning her attention back to Bukayev. This video was filmed inside his house, the one she’d broken into in London last year. She’d recognize that garish painting anywhere. And his olive skin and shock of graying black hair were unmistakable.
“Our work is not done. Your children are not safe. No enemy of Allah is safe. Our valiant soldiers are in place and ready to strike again at my command.”
Maggie tried to make sense of it. Bukayev wasn’t in London anymore. He must’ve filmed this video after the school attack but before he’d fled. Now, nearly nine months later, the Brits had no idea where he was. Neither did she, despite her spending the better part of every day at Langley trying to track him down.
“I dare him to try something again,” one man said, his voice full of bravado.
Sweat coursed down Maggie’s face. She steadied herself with one hand on the treadmill rail. The news anchor was speaking, but she couldn’t hear him, not with the ringing in her ears. Roger! She had to call Roger. Deep breath. Calm down. Her lungs felt full, her heart about to burst.
“Is this yours?” A woman’s voice cut through the noise in her head.
Maggie blinked. A petite blonde with a bright smile extended her hand, Maggie’s headphones and MP3 player resting on her palm.
“Yeah, thanks.” Maggie studied the woman for a moment. Something about her seemed familiar.
“You sure?”
Maggie nodded, snatched her phone and water bottle from the treadmill console, and hurried for the locker room. Inside, she slumped onto a wooden bench set across from a row of lockers. After taking a swig of water and counting backward from twenty, she flipped open the phone.
“Roger? Did you see the news? It’s Bukayev. I think he’s coming for me.”
***
Excerpt from The Wayward Target by Susan Ouellette. Copyright 2023 by Susan Ouellette. Reproduced with permission from CamCat Publishing. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Susan Ouellette was born and raised in the suburbs of Boston, where she studied international relations and Russian language and culture at both Harvard University and Boston University. As the Soviet Union teetered on the edge of collapse, she worked as an intelligence analyst at the CIA, where she earned a commendation for her work done during the failed 1991 Soviet coup. Subsequently, Susan worked on Capitol Hill as a professional staff member for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI).
It was there in the Capitol Building, during quiet moments, that Susan conceived of Maggie Jenkins, an intrepid female character thrust into a dangerous situation borne of tragedy. Next came the threads of a plot, and from that blossomed her first espionage thriller, The Wayward Spy.
Susan lives on a farm outside of Washington, D.C., with her husband, three boys, cats, chickens, turkeys, and too many honeybees to count. In her spare time, she loves to read, root for Boston sports teams, and spend time staring out at the ocean on the North Carolina coast.
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Protecting Hawk by Jane Blythe is Book V of the Prey, but the series is part of something so much bigger. There are many more books and authors putting their own spin on the Operation Alpha World.
About Operation Alpha
Operation Alpha is the fan fiction world for Susan Stoker’s SEAL of Protection, Delta Force Heroes, and Badge of Honor: Texas Heroes Worlds. The books all have at least one of Susan’s characters in them. Check it out at Aces Press.
I have been reading Jane Blythe’s work for a long time now and her writing style fits me well. Protecting Hawk is Book V in her Special Forces: Operation Alpha – Prey Security series. I am familiar with many of the characters from previous books and am eager to see what she puts them through in Protecting Hawk.
The guys are hunks and the women are damsels in distress, sorta. But, be careful. You push them into a corner and they can bite.
A one night stand and they are unable to forget? I can sure see why she can’t. LOL I guess if you are a guy back from a military mission, one who only does one night stands because he does not want a relationship, maybe…if he met the right one…she could be unforgettable. Is there such a thing as love at first sight?
Madeline Montgomery works as a victimologist, studying the relationship between victims and their attackers, working with police across the country.
She is on the run, because her work brought her to the attention of a serial killer, but it goes so much deeper than that. I am not going to tell you why, but it does tie into an issue that Prey Security has been dealing with.
She walks in. Eight months pregnant. Seeking help. Her life and her unborn baby’s life is on the line. She knows they are the best, so here she is.
The premise is a familiar one with romantic suspense. It’s hard to get around the push/pull, (mis or no) communication and keep the story going. After all, that is usually how it leaves her open to danger. And, real life, look how well we all communicate. LOL
After meeting Madeline, Hawk has started to reconsider his military career. Maybe it’s time to retire and accept a job at Prey Security. His family had been after him to join the firm and now he has a reason to consider it…if he goes after her. With all the skills his family possesses it would not be difficult to find her, he just has to make up his mind to do it. Before he has the chance…
It’s hard for me to imagine a scenario I don’t see coming, but Jane Blythe does manage to surprise me, when Ellen walked into the room….
Thank you, Jane, for the hours of unputdownable entertainment. Keep it coming.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Protecting Hawk by Jane Blythe.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
It was only supposed to be one night.
When Madeline Montgomery finds out she’s carrying her one night stand’s baby she’s shocked, but without his name she can’t find him, and determines to raise her child alone. With a stalker upping his ante and the cops refusing to take her seriously, she runs to Prey Security for help. Stunned to find her baby’s father is a co-owner of the company, the two grow close, bonding over their son’s birth. However a threat is hovering over them, one their fledgling relationship might not survive.
Hawk Oswald doesn’t believe relationships last, yet he can’t stop obsessing over the one night stand from eight months ago. When the woman in question shows up as a client at Prey, pregnant with his child, he realizes maybe he does want a family of his own. But someone is out to get him and his siblings, and when evidence suggests Maddy might be a part of it, he’s going to have to decide whether or not he believes in the woman he’s falling in love with before its too late.
Military, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Suspense and Thriller Fiction
Kindle Edition
Published November 22, 2022
ABOUT JANE BLYTHE
USA Today bestselling author Jane Blythe writes action-packed romantic suspense and military romance featuring protective heroes and heroines who are survivors. One of Jane’s most popular series includes Saving SEALs, part of Susan Stoker’s OPERATION ALPHA world! Writing in that world alongside authors such as Janie Crouch and Riley Edwards has been a blast, and she looks forward to bringing more books to this genre, both within and outside of Stoker’s world. When Jane isn’t binge-reading she’s counting down to Christmas and adding to her 200+ teddy bear collection!
I have become a super fan of books with crows in them. The cover and title for A River Of Crows by Shanesa Gluhm are fabulous and fit the book perfectly. The mother is an ornithologist and her son, Ridge, picks up her passion.
Shanessa Gluhm set me up from the beginning and led me on a wild goose chase through the entire story. I twisted and I turned, and I twisted again. I was very lackadaisical, thinking I knew what was happening. By the mid mark of the book, I knew that I knew nothing.
Sloan. Bad things happened to her, time and time again. Her brother vanished. After her father’s conviction for the murder of Ridge, her mother goes into a downward spiral. When Sloan is given an opportunity to leave town and go to college, she takes it. She returns when her mother comes home after being in a private facility. Sloan takes it on herself to take care of her mother. With the help of friends, she makes ends meet.
Now dad is being released from prison and the secrets begin to leech out from the rocks they had been kept hidden under. Blow after blow comes to Sloan, and I am right there with her. We, pretty much, find out together and I never saw the convoluted tale that Shanessa Gluhm created.
Easthead River was known as Crow’s Head Creek because they had one of the biggest colony of crows. They were everyone, covering fence posts, telephone wires and trees. I have grown a fascination with crows and will grab any book that makes them a character in their story.
I love damaged, complex characters with secrets and we have our share. The psychological damage done to Sloan makes me wonder how she will piece her life back together. Betrayal, murder, kidnapping, lies, lies, and more lies.
I’m trying to figure out how to say how much A River Of Crows by Shanessa Gluhm surprise me, stunned me, and led me down a torturous path that filled me with surprise and satisfaction for a job well done. I want to share so much, but I would rather you find out for yourself. This may be my first book by Shanessa Gluhm, but I doubt it will be my last.
4 Stars
Synopsis:
In 1988, Sloan Hadfield’s brother Ridge went fishing with their father and never came home. Their father, a good-natured Vietnam veteran prone to violent outbursts, was arrested and charged with murder. Ridge’s body was never recovered, and Sloan’s mother— a brilliant ornithologist— slowly descended into madness, insisting her son was still alive.
Now twenty years later, Sloan’s life is unraveling. In the middle of a bitter divorce, she’s forced to return to her rural Texas hometown when her mother is discharged from a mental health facility.
Overwhelmed by memories and unanswered questions, Sloan returns to the last place her brother was seen all those years ago: Crow’s Nest Creek. There, she is shocked to hear a crow murmuring the same syllable over and over: Ridge, Ridge, Ridge.
When the body of another boy is found, Sloan begins to question what really happened to her brother all those years ago. What she discovers will shock her small community and turn her family upside down.
Praise for A River of Crows:
“In A River of Crows, Shanessa Gluhm spins a complex web of murder and family revelation that propels the reader forward at a breakneck pace. Just when you think you know where the story is headed, she reveals another thread. If you haven’t yet read Shanessa Gluhm, you need to put her on your to-be-read list.” ~ Allen Eskens, USA Today bestselling author of The Life We Bury
“A twisted family dynamic and complex personal history combine with a touch of romance in Shanessa Gluhm’s knockout second novel. A River of Crows grabs on with the opening pages and holds a reader tight to the very end.” ~ Elena Taylor/Elena Hartwell, author of All We Buried and the Wait, Wait, Don’t Query (Yet) series
“A River of Crows is a superb second novel that shows Shanessa Gluhm is a naturally gifted storyteller and writer, on a par with all the greats.” ~ Rob Samborn, author of The Prisoner of Paradise and Painter of the Damned
“Shanessa Gluhm crafts a thought-provoking story of revelation, family ties, discovery, and murder… Readers who choose A River of Crows for its mystery will find an unexpected draw and value in the emotional components which keep the plot action-packed and charged with transformation.” ~ D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
“Gluhm peels away layers of family secrets in this dual timeline narrative, right up until the climactic final reveal, a twist that truly surprised me. Well done!” ~ Laura Kemp, award-winning author of the Lantern Creek Series
A River of Crows Trailer:
Book Details:
Genre: Thriller Published by: TouchPoint Press Publication Date: April 2023 Number of Pages: 427 ISBN: 978-1956851588 Book Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
Mud squished under Sloan’s brown Doc Martens as she climbed the steep ridge. She had run up this incline ten thousand times but wasn’t as surefooted now.
Sloan’s shirt clung to her back and her hair was already frizzing. “We’re in for another hot summer,” the friendly postal worker told her yesterday. As if there was a different kind of summer here in East Texas.
The water moved slowly today, trickling around massive boulders in the middle of the wide river. It was the kind of sound that soothed people, the peaceful noises they played when getting a massage or trying to fall asleep. In a few more months it would be difficult to even hear the water over the sound of the crows. That was a sound nobody could fall asleep to.
Not much about the river had changed. Sloan’s favorite climbing tree still stood; its limbs just as gnarled as she remembered them. If she closed her eyes, she could still see a pink glittery Easter egg in the crook of a branch, the last one she’d found the year they hunted eggs here.
A moss-covered fallen tree trunk she remembered was still here too. How many times had she, Ridge, and Noah balanced on it? The same trail still cut through the tall, pinecone-littered grass— the one made by animals visiting the water’s edge. Bits of tinfoil and leftover plastic baggies from picnics still littered the bank.
Sloan peered into the creek. Minnows flashed beneath the surface and brought back a memory. She was a toddler wading in the ford of the river, holding hands with both her parents, splashing and singing “Ring Around the Rosie.” They were laughing. They were happy.
Hard to believe this peaceful place was the site of her brother’s death. Of course, the water hadn’t been peaceful that day. It had rained for weeks and the creek raged. But it hadn’t been the creek that took Ridge’s life. It was their father.
Sloan closed her eyes to stop her tears. She inhaled, breathing in wet earth and rotting bark. Now was no time for a panic attack.
She sat down and touched the water. They’d never found her brother’s body, just a shoe, a piece of his torn t-shirt, and the god-awful green beanie he loved so much. And, of course, his blood. “Where did you go, Ridge?” Sloan asked her reflection.
A crow cawed loudly from a tree. Sloan wondered if her mom had been out here yet to look for nests, wondered if she even cared to anymore. Sloan stood. Only one way to find out, and she couldn’t put it off any longer.
***
Excerpt from A River of Crows by Shanessa Gluhm. Copyright 2023 by Shanessa Gluhm. Reproduced with permission from Shanessa Gluhm. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Shanessa Gluhm works as a librarian at an elementary school in New Mexico where she lives with her husband and children. It was during her own elementary days when a teacher encouraged Shanessa to share a story she wrote called, “Piggy the Kid” with the class. They asked for a sequel and she hasn’t stopped writing since.
Her debut novel, Enemies of Doves was an IAN Book of the Year Finalist in the category of first novel, an NIEA Finalist for cross-genre fiction, and first place winner in the Chanticleer Clue Awards for mystery, suspense, and thriller fiction.
When Shanessa is not writing she enjoys bird-watching, reading, and watching true crime documentaries. Shanessa loves to hear from her readers and the best way to connect is via e-mail or her Facebook page.
Book Title: Underneath the Fireflies by Marianne Scott Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 496 pages Genre: Murder Mystery / Thriller Publisher: Crowe Creations Release date: January 2023 Content Rating: PG-13 – Colloquial expressions in dialogue.
Book Description:
No matter where Grace Walker goes, her extra sensory power goes with her. She’s an empath and she sees things — terrible things. After a tragic accident at the place where she works, she decides to take a mental-health break on a remote West Coast island. But she no sooner gets to Galliano Island when a vision of the murder of an Indigenous woman draws her into a disturbing and threatening dilemma.
Book Title: Underneath the Fireflies by Marianne Scott Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 224 pages Genre: Mystery / Thriller Publisher: Crowe Creations Release date: October 2022 Content Rating: PG-13 – mild profanity as in street dialogue
Book Description:
He’s a Cold War spy hiding from one of his own. His real identity is tied to a treacherous past associated with American intelligence operations closed down after the end of the Cold War, and his enemy is relentless. All he has to do is change his name. Right? Wrong. Very wrong. Felix has eyes and ears everywhere.
Marianne Scott is the Canadian author of four mystery thrillers and is currently working on her fifth novel, a sci-fi/thriller. She has a BA and a Diploma in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University. She studied creative writing through Conestoga College and Humber College. She enjoys writing workshops such as those offered by Brian Henry, publisher of blog, Quick Brown Fox and One Lit Place, a writers’ hub by creator/editor Jenna Kalinsky. She has an author’s website and blog. She is a full-time writer who lives in the historic small Canadian village of Hespeler Ontario (now amalgamated with the city of Cambridge).
A forest retreat. Isolated. No wireless. A storm. A family of psychopaths. What could possibly go wrong?
The pretty cover of The Family Bones by Elle Marr makes me think romantic suspense. I read the blurb and I thought, this will be a different kind of serial killer story and I was eager to begin reading. It didn’t go like a thought…
The point of view shifts between Olivia, a family member and podcaster searching for answers to the question – nature or nurture, Birdie, and influences and podcaster specializing in missing women, and a Journal.
The mystery begins to ramp up when a body is found floating in the lake. The police are unable to reach them due to the storm and thinking they would be all right. After all, it is a family reunion.
I feel like I am lost in a B movie, unraveling it through the written word. The story felt dry. I thought with the murder(s) it would be more suspenseful, but it just didn’t read that way to me. More of a mystery than a suspense novel.
I will say, there were so many suspects, I would need a murder board to try to figure it out. I know the story is fiction and I am usually able to let the author lead me wherever they want me to go, but this time, I just couldn’t get there. Was it the storyline?…or just me?….
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Family Bones by Elle Marr.
3 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
What makes a psychopath? A young woman delves into her family’s shadowy legacy in a terrifying novel by the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of Strangers We Know.
Psychology student Olivia Eriksen’s family is notorious among true-crime buffs. Faced with a legacy of psychopathy that spans generations, Olivia has spent much of her academic life trying to answer one chilling question: Nature or nurture?
Although she’s kept a safe distance from her blood relatives for years, Olivia agrees to attend a weekend reunion. After all, her fiancé is eager to meet his future in-laws, and the gathering may give her a chance to interview her elusive grandfather about the family traits.
But nothing is ever peaceful among the Eriksens for long. Olivia’s favorite cousin is found dead in a nearby lake. Then another family member disappears. As a violent storm isolates the group further, Olivia’s fears rise faster than the river.
And an uninvited guest is about to join the party. True-crime podcaster Birdie Tan has uncovered a disturbing mystery in her latest investigation—and she’s following it right to the Eriksens’ mountain resort. There’s a deadly twist in the family plot that even Olivia doesn’t see coming.
318 pages, Paperback
First published March 7, 2023
ABOUT ELLE MARR
Elle Marr is a #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of thrillers. Her latest book THE FAMILY BONES earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called it a “mesmerizing psychological thriller.” Originally from Sacramento, Elle graduated from UC San Diego before moving to France, where she earned a master’s degree from the Sorbonne University in Paris. She now lives and writes in Oregon with her family.
Coming in Spring 2024, her next book THE ALONE TIME is available for pre-order now. YOUR DARK SECRETS, a thriller in the vein of Flight Attendant meets I Care A Lot, will publish Summer 2024.
For more info, check out www.ellemarr.com or follow her on social media.
I have had my eye on Britney King for some time now and what I found in The Social Affair is so much more than I expected. At first, I was disappointed, thinking I had either read it before, or a book just like it, or seen something like it on a TV show. BUT, by the time I was done, I was amazed. She took this disturbing, dark, psychological thriller to a place I didn’t see coming. The twists and turn kept me on my toes and left me with a big smile on my face. I hope you don’t judge me unkindly, but the darker, more evil the plot, the more I get lost in the villains and victims, and the things that will be done to them, and I LOVED IT! Fabulous ending and one that was a total surprise. The excellent writing and pacing kept me flipping pages until the last page was turned.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
In the tradition of Gone Girl and Behind Closed Doors comes a gripping, twisted, furiously clever read that demands your attention, and keeps you guessing until the very end. For fans of the anti-heroine and stories told in unorthodox ways, The Social Affair delivers us the perfect dark and provocative villain. The only question—who is it?
A timeless, perfect couple waltzes into the small coffee shop where Izzy Lewis works. Instantly enamored, she does what she always does in situations like these: she searches them out on social media.
Just like that—with the tap of a screen— she’s given a front row seat to the Dunns’ picturesque life. This time, she’s certain she’s found what she’s been searching for. This time, she’ll go to whatever lengths it takes to ensure she gets it right—even if this means doing the unthinkable.
Intense and original, The Social Affair is a disturbing psychological thriller that explores what can happen when privacy is traded for convenience.
ABOUT BRITNEY KING
Britney King lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, children, a dog named Gatsby, one ridiculous cat, and a partridge in a peach tree.
When she’s not wrangling the things mentioned above, she writes psychological, domestic and romantic thrillers set in suburbia.
Without a doubt, she thinks connecting with readers is the best part of this gig. You can find Britney online here:
Through the Veneer of Time Vera Bell Publication date: April 10th 2023 Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense, Time-Travel
If not for “The Ghost”—her FBI husband’s gruesome case—Siena Forte’s life would have been perfect. But not when the D.C. serial killer is hunting women like her, and when her husband is so unsettled by this case, he refuses to discuss it. It’s a miracle her art career is thriving at all. And not only her career. When Siena lands a medieval mural commission at the National Gallery of Art, she discovers a bizarre knack for astral projecting to her past life. In a lucky strike, her visions of love and prominence in medieval Ireland are just the creative inspiration she seeks.
What Siena doesn’t know is her vivid depiction of the past exposes her to someone she has met before—the serial killer, reborn in this century just like her. But when a vicious attack from the past reverberates into the present, Siena’s life unravels in a chilling parallel. Silenced and alone, she discovers the true reason for her visions. They’re not the creative inspiration they seemed, but a harbinger of her centuries-old revenge vow, and the killer cannot be stopped until she fulfills it. But there is another person from the past with unfinished business—her husband. And another unwelcome déjà vu—their crumbling marriage, once again precipitated by the serial killer’s crime.
Does Siena have what it takes to carry out her ancient vow?
His words were a blast that made something inside me snap. Why couldn’t I unlock my eyes from his? Unclench my knees despite an unbearable compulsion to run? I dug my fingernails into my sweaty palms to break the paralysis, drove the graphite shards into my flesh.
“Do you ever wonder what becomes of your characters?” His vacuous smile didn’t reach his eyes. “What comes after your painstaking freeze-frame? Your warrior—” He pointed his chin at the mural. “He’s cocky, but he doesn’t know what he’s riding into. Yet hours from now, he could be lying in some field, stripped of his weapons, bleeding out into the ground as the vultures peck at his baby blues.” His eyes widened. “Leaving his beautiful young widow all alone.”
His impossibly soft voice was a ringing blow in my ears. A tremor braced my throat. I drew a frantic breath against it.
“I’m sorry,” I squeezed out, “I’m not sure I follow.”
“I’m sure you do.” He chuckled. “But don’t look so stricken, Siena Forte. It’s only a painting, a fantasy. Nothing more.”
“Excuse me…” I edged past him, cold all over.
I rushed into the nearest restroom, tossed the broken graphite into the trash can, and locked myself in a stall. I hugged myself. Tight. Tighter. Gasped for air, not drawing any. My vision swam at the edges. Flickering. Fading. My heart thudded, and breath came faster in my chest, choking me.
Fragments of his words whirred around me, and I grasped my head to stop the awful cacophony. But it wouldn’t stop. The image he drew cut like a knife, piercing through something soft and vulnerable inside. Something I’d buried deep down and wished to keep that way. But he’d driven it to the surface and laid it out in the open, raw and exposed.
Someone entered the restroom, and I froze at the squeak of the adjoining stall door. But it was only a pair of black pumps through the divider gap. Heartbeat in my ears, I dropped the toilet lid and sat down.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat.
Worgen was a narcissistic egomaniac, pissed off at not getting his way. Certainly, he could neither read my mind nor know anything about my visions. He was messing with me. Of course, he was! Pygmalion was a mythical sculptor, whose ivory creation came to life after he’d fallen in love with her. And here I was, a female artist, painting a man. As for the widow, it wasn’t a big leap to imagine a handsome warrior leaving a young wife at home. Worgen didn’t have to know about me to understand this mental image would upset me.
I couldn’t tell how long I stayed in the restroom, but I emerged more determined than ever to continue with my project. I only needed to go outside and get some fresh air first. But Worgen was still there, talking to a visitor, and the only way out was past him.
I clenched my jaw and went toward them.
Author Bio:
Vera Bell is the author of the time-travel romance trilogy Always & Forever, set in sixteenth-century Ireland and present-day United States. Book One, “Through the Veneer of Time,” is her debut novel. Besides being a writer, she is a wife to her high-school sweetheart, a mother to two teenagers and one fur baby, a former commercial artist and boutique owner, and a member of the Historical Novel Society, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Romance Writers of America. Her favorite place to write is on her porch, overlooking a pond lined with river birches and magnolias. The topics she never tires of are Ireland, past lives, and love that transcends time and space.
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