CHRISTMAS PRESENTS by Lisa Unger

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Instead of presents this Christmas, a true crime podcaster is opening up a cold case…

Madeline Martin has built a life for herself as the young owner of a thriving business, The Next Chapter Bookshop, despite her tragic childhood and now needing to care for her infirm father. When Harley Granger, a failed novelist turned true crime podcaster, drifts into her shop in the days before Christmas, he seems intent on digging up events that Madeline would much rather forget. She’s the only surviving victim of Evan Handy, the man who was convicted of murdering her best friend Steph, and is suspected in the disappearance of two sisters, also good friends of Madeline’s, who have been missing for nearly a decade. It’s an investigation that has obsessed her father Sheriff James Martin right up until his stroke took his faculties.

Harley Granger has a gift for seeing things that others miss. He wasn’t much of a novelist, but his work as a true crime author and podcaster has earned him fame and wealth ― and some serious criticism for his various unethical practices. Still, visiting Little Valley to be closer to his dying father has caused him to look into a case that many people think is closed ― and some want reopened. And he has a lot of questions about the night Stephanie Cramer was killed, Ainsley and Sam Wallace disappeared, and Madeline Martin was left for dead, bleeding out on a riverbank.

Since Evan Handy went to jail, three other young women have gone missing, most recently a young college dropout named Lolly. Five young women missing in the same area in a decade. Are they connected? Was Evan Handy innocent after all? Or was there some else there that night? Someone who is still satisfying his dark appetites?

As Christmas approaches and a blizzard bears down, Madeline and her childhood friend Badger return to a past they both hoped was dead ― to find the missing Lolly and to answer questions that have haunted them both, discovering that the truth is more terrible and much closer to home than they think.

Coupling a picturesque, cozy setting with a deeply unsettling suspenseful plot, Christmas Presents is a chilling seasonal novella that can be enjoyed all year long.

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Publisher: Mysterious Press
Publication Date: October 24, 2023
Source: Purchased Audiobook (Audible)
Rating: 4.5 Stars

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My Thoughts:

I grabbed CHRISTMAS PRESENTS from Audible last month because I wanted a holiday thriller to listen to while wrapping…yep. Christmas presents. It’s a quick listen at around 5-1/2 hours on 1x speed. The narration by Jennifer Pickens pulled me into the story. Her voice is hypnotic.

The story is about a true crime author/podcaster who comes to town to investigate the disappearance of three women, and how their cases might be connected to another woman’s murder and two missing sisters a decade ago. Then there’s a surviving victim of the murder case ten years ago who’s not thrilled about rehashing that horrific time.

For a novella-length book, the story was rather complex with the different layers and POVs, but it wrapped up nicely in the end. There were a couple of times things didn’t make sense, but overall it was a well-written and engrossing thriller. I’d recommend CHRISTMAS PRESENTS if you’re looking for a darker holiday read.

EVERYONE HERE IS LYING by Shari Lapena #20booksofsummer23

Synopsis from the Publisher:

Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door.

Welcome to Stanhope. A safe neighborhood. A place for families.

William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he’s been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper.

Hours later, Avery’s family declares her missing.

Suddenly Stanhope doesn’t feel so safe. And William isn’t the only one on his street who’s hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery’s neighbors become increasingly unhinged.

Who took Avery Wooler? Nothing will prepare you for the truth.

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Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Publication Date: July 25, 2023
Source: Borrowed from the Library
Rating: 4.5 Stars

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My Thoughts:

Is everyone here really lying? Who is and who isn’t? This latest domestic suspense novel from Shari Lapena is just as gripping and entertaining as my favorite book of hers, The Couple Next Door.

Father, husband, and adulterer William Wooler comes home in a foul mood one afternoon after being dumped by his mistress, and he has an altercation with his 9-year old daughter who’s supposed to be in school. Then suddenly, she’s gone. Vanished. And it seems every neighbor on her block has an interesting story to tell about what they think happened to Avery.

This book is a fascinating missing persons mystery that I couldn’t put down. Some of the characters were awful, some were easy to empathize with, but they all added an intriguing voice to the story. I enjoyed how the multiple POVs changed often and flowed seamlessly into each other, which kept the pace moving quickly.

I loved how the story wrapped up, but at the same time I thought the ending was too abrupt. When I reached the last page, I said “Nooooo!” The mystery has a satisfying resolution, but I just wanted more. I would definitely recommend this dark domestic thriller to fans of the genre. Well done!

THE BOOK OF SILVER LININGS by Nan Fischer #20booksofsummer23

Synopsis from the Publisher:

Within the margins of an antique book, a timeless love waits for a young woman on the precipice of a terrible mistake in this enthralling exploration of fate and independence from the acclaimed author of Some of It Was Real.

Constance Sparks always says yes…when her capricious best friend needs money; when her boss gives her more responsibility without a raise; and when her boyfriend, Hayden, who is very kind but also secretive, asks her to marry him.

While planning their wedding — and struggling with anxiety about the right course for her future — Constance researches the history of her antique engagement ring and unearths the name of a man who might be connected to it, plus his tragic love story. When she finds a book of letters in her library’s old manuscript section written by the long-dead man, Constance is deeply touched by his words and leaves a note for him confessing her uncertainty and doubts. She’s shocked days later to find a response tucked among the pages.

As the notes continue to arrive, Constance finds herself quickly falling in love with a ghost and putting her real-life relationship in jeopardy. Will a bond based on letters impossibly sent from the past derail her future? Or will Constance discover her voice and risk everything for the chance to somehow connect with her true soul mate?

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Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: Aug 15, 2023
Source: Review copy from NetGalley
Rating: 4.5 Stars

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My Thoughts:

Though contemporary romance isn’t a genre I pick up often, something about the premise of this book compelled me to give it a read, and I’m so glad I did.

The main character Constance is a people pleaser, always willing to give up pieces of herself for others, and never feeling like she’s enough. When her fiancé gives her a stunning antique engagement ring, she sets out to discover its provenance through a very old book of letters from WWI. The answers she finds help to guide her down her own path of self-discovery.

I wasn’t expecting this to be such an emotional read, but I got teary eyed several times. My heart went out to Constance and her struggle with low self-esteem and her difficult relationships with others. She was such a sweet person.

There’s a bit of mystery that Constance finds within the book of letters, and a lovely slow-build romance that came with a couple of surprising twists. I highly recommend this uplifting story of finding self-worth, true love, and having the courage to accept the past and set a new course in life.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND by Liz Nugent #20booksofsummer23

Synopsis from the Publisher:

The internationally bestselling author of Lying in Wait returns with a wickedly dark, twisted, and brilliantly observed new novel about an enigmatic woman confronting her unknown past.

Reclusive Sally Diamond causes outrage by trying to incinerate her dead father. Now she’s the center of attention, not only from the hungry media and police detectives, but also a sinister voice from a past she does not remember. As she begins to discover the horrors of her early childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, big decisions, and learning that people don’t always mean what they say.

But who is the man observing Sally from the other side of the world, and why does he call her Mary? And why does her new neighbor seem to be obsessed with her? Sally’s trust issues are about to be severely challenged in this “inventive, addictive, and bold” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) thriller.

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Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Publication Date: July 18, 2023
Source: Review copy from Edelweiss
Rating: 4.5 Stars

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My Thoughts:

STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND is a riveting story about a very unique woman. Sally sees the world and processes things differently that most people, perhaps due in part to her traumatic childhood, or not. When her dad jokingly told her to throw him out with the garbage when he dies, she did just that. However, burning her dead father’s body in an incinerator brought the wrong attention to her doorstep, including some ghosts from her horrific past.

This book was a slow burn, but one I was quickly immersed in. It’s just as much an intriguing character study as it is a gripping suspense novel. I enjoyed viewing things through Sally’s distinctive POV. The ending wasn’t as satisfying as I’d hoped, as it almost leaves an opening for a sequel, but why? Still, this was a fantastically suspenseful read. Dark and disturbing, but I couldn’t look away.

Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss for providing me a copy of this book. Opinions are my own.

YOU CAN TRUST ME by Wendy Heard #20booksofsummer23

Synopsis from the Publisher:

Summer and Leo would do anything for each other. Inspired by the way each has had to carve her place in a hostile and unforgiving world, and united by the call of the open road, they travel around sunny California in Summer’s tricked-out Land Cruiser. It’s not a glamorous life, but it gives them the freedom they crave from the painful pasts they’ve left behind. But even free spirits have bills to pay. Luckily, Summer is a skilled pickpocket, a small-time thief, and a con artist—and Leo, determined to pay her own way, has learned a trick or two.

Eager for a big score, Leo catches in her crosshairs Michael Forrester, a self-made billionaire and philanthropist. When her charm wins him over, Leo is rewarded with an invitation to his private island off the California coastline for a night of fabulous excess. She eagerly anticipates returning with photos that can be sold to the paparazzi, jewelry that can be liquidated, and endless stories to share with Summer.

Instead, Leo disappears.

On her own for the first time in years, Summer decides to infiltrate Michael’s island and find out what really happened. But when she arrives, no one has seen Leo—she’s not on the island as far as they know. Plus, there was only one way on the island—and no way off—for the coming days. Trapped in a scheme she helped initiate, could Summer have met her match?

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Publisher: Bantam
Publication Date: June 13, 2023
Source: Review copy from the Publisher
Rating: 4.5 Stars

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My Thoughts:

OK, wow, I loved this book! YOU CAN TRUST ME is a riveting woman-power, pro-female friendship thriller, and one of my favorite reads this year. I adored the two lead protagonists, Summer and Leo.

Con artist and pickpocket Summer had a very unconventional upbringing, which lead to an adulthood as a loner, until she met likeminded Leo. Now the two women are inseparable, grifting and living free around California in Summer’s Land Cruiser. Until…

Leo sets her sights on a tech billionaire, hoping to scam some riches out of him, along with a fun night on his secluded private island. Except she doesn’t come home!! Now it’s up to Summer to con her way onto the island and find out what happened to her missing bestie.

The chapters alternate POVs between the two women, both in present day and the past, which kept the tension building perfectly. The twists were so good, and I definitely had a few jaw-dropping “what?!?” moments. I think some of it was a tad over the top, but still very fun. Highly recommended to fans of tense cat and mouse thrillers with compelling characters.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a digital review copy of this book. Opinions are my own.