mystery – Donna's Reading Chair

Book Review: The Guilt Trip

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press & Minotaur Books for my advance copy of The Guilt Trip in exchange for my honest review!

This book started a little rough for me. I find it confusing when a lot of characters are introduced at once. For this one we met 3 couples right away; 1 is getting married and the other 2 couples are great friends. I couldn’t keep who was with who straight until halfway through the book, but I know that’s a me thing!

The couples fly to Portugal for a wedding. No one seems to be a fan of the future wife (the brother of the soon to husband is here and sets off a cheating rumor). Is she crazy? Is she hiding something?

There is a lot of speculation of cheating in this one. Something just seems off in general. Sandie Jones does a FANTASTIC job of creating doubt in the reader’s mind. Just when you think, ah this is what is happening you think, ehhh maybe not?

This becomes unputdownable halfway through. You need answers! Is the wedding going on?! Is the future wife cheating on her soon-to-be husband?! Is a child’s paternity going to be questioned within the circle of friends?! Whaaaaaaat?!?

The ending was fast paced and in your face. That epilogue. That short, little epilogue and your mind is blown. Wow. It tied everything together and then I kicked myself, haha.

4 stars. SOLID read, great thriller. I didn’t anticipate the ending, but it was great and I’m left satisfied with how everything turned out!! You won’t regret reading this one!

Title: The Guilt Trip

Author: Sandie Jones

Genre(s): Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: May 21, 2021

Find it here on Goodreads

Book Review: Stolen Things @RachaelHerron @DuttonBooks #Mystery #Thriller #Suspense #MomsWhoRead #ReadMe

Ok, I have to go all the way back to October for this one…I told you I was behind. You just didn’t know HOW behind, haha. I won’t lie, I had to read a few reviews on Goodreads to jog my memory! Yes, I’m one of those people who forgets the majority of books/movies…overall I remember if I liked it or not, so I at least have that going for me!

This was a captivating thriller where you thought you knew who did it, until you realized you didn’t. This book tackles rape, murder, missing person, police brutality and racial issues. Yeah, it goes all into that.

The mom is a 911 operator and receives a phone call from her daughter who has been drugged and she has no idea where she is. Her father is the chief of police and they go on a man hunt and find her. She ends up being drugged and raped, found at her friend’s home. Oh, by the way there’s a dead body in the closet in the room she’s found in. Her friend, who holds rallies against the police, which the daughter attends, is now accused of rape and murder. The daughter denies her friend could possibly do anything wrong, but the evidence is there…and oh yeah, her once best friend is MISSING!

There was a lot of action. The mother is determined to get to the bottom of what happened to her daughter and what is going on and it is a crazy, wild ride. The parents of the friend are banging down her door asking for answers of what the police all know and where their daughter is. She looks into her own people within the police department and does not hold back her own private investigation. I will say the beginning of filled with nonstop page turning action that starts to fade a little as the book goes on…now, it is still a captivating read with thrilling action that makes you go, oh my what is happening!!

4 stars. I could relate being a mother and doing anything to figure out what happened to my child. Highly recommend this for lovers of thrillers! Have you read this one? Did you enjoy it?

Title: Stolen Things

Author: R.H. Herron

Genre(s): Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

Publisher: Dutton

Release Date: August 20, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads

Book Review: Anything For You #SaulBlack @Netgalley @StMartinsPress #MomsWhoRead #Thriller #Mystery #Novel #ReadMe

Slowly getting through my Netgalley reads…I don’t even want to let you know how many I’m behind on. I have been holding true to my promise and I have not requested any more yet. See, I’m being a good girl! After I finish this review it’s off to read some more! My Kindle will be burning the midnight oil!

This book twisted and this book turned…I did not see the ending coming, although I feel like it COULD be predictable for those of you thriller aficionados, but not for me! What I appreciated most about this book was the side story of the detective, Valerie.

This book is about solving a murder…or two…Valerie is on the case and has her own family drama. This is apparently book number 3 in the Valerie Hart series so I don’t know what her personal life has been like up until now, but she had some drama. I don’t feel like I missed out on anything and didn’t realize it was number 3 until I pulled up the Goodreads page. So not only do we have this mystery of who killed who, we also have a side story going on…this book was just filled with great writing!

It was easy to follow, even after I ended up deserting this book for a MONTH (shame I know), but when I picked it back up it was easy to remember everything that happened. A big fancy prosecutor, Adam, is murdered. His family is just in pieces over his death and then another murder is discovered…are they connected? Oh, you’ll have to read to find out. It was a great thriller with a fun side story, again, I really appreciate that!

4 stars. I am sure you’re tired of me saying this, but I really liked reading for the mystery, as well as for the family drama and what Valerie would do. I was in her corner and I am so HAPPY with what happens in her personal life in the end. Aren’t you just curious to know what this is all about? Go get a copy of this book ASAP!

Title: Anything For You

Author: Saul Black

Genre(s): Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Release Date: November 12, 2019

Find it here on Goodreads

Stacking The Shelves: February 9th

Here’s my usual blurb about today’s post…I stumbled across Stocking The Shelves on Jill’s Book Blog (check it out). This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga’s Reviews and Reading Reality. Here’s what they say about it…

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I actually bought physical books this week!! Not for me, but, for my 7 year old son! I ended up buying him 7…yikes! But hey, if he is reading and won’t stop reading, I don’t care!! Here is what we bought him…

The Ballpark Mystery Series box set 1-4 (and then subsequently 5, 6, & 7 after he blew through 2 books in 2 days). He has been struggling with reading lately and has read all of the books we have. My husband stumbled across this series by David A. Kelly which is a mystery series for kids ages 6-9 (grades 1-4). Each book takes place at a different MLB stadium. The box set was only $13 on Amazon so we risked it and I am so glad we did!! He read the first book in a day, he couldn’t stop (ut oh, he takes after me). He HAD to know how it ended! Hahahaha. We are so happy to find out he enjoys mysteries and we plan on buying this whole series for him. I am happy to take recommendations for more mystery books you think a 7 (almost 8) year old boy would enjoy!

Now for my books…first, I’ll highlight the freebies!

One S’More Summer by Beth Merlin

Get Lucky by Lila Monroe

All Eyes On Me by Linsey Lanier

The Day I Died by E. B. Black

There Are No Men by Carol Maloney Scott (for a short time it was offered free)

I did pay for 2 books this week…2 books I am **VERY** excited to read! They are both by the talented Teresa Driscoll! As soon as I finish the 2 books I am reading right now I am diving in to these bad boys!!

The Friend

The Promise

What do you think of the books I got this week? Do you have any? Did you get The Promise this week??? Let me know!! As always, thank you for stopping by!

Book Review: The Innocent

My first read of 2019! My first box checked on the 2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge as well! I actually started this book in 2018 and had every intention of finishing it in 2018, however, life happens and here we are 2 weeks in to January and I just finished it. Oh well, at least I get to check off a box for the challenge!

I would like to note that I read his book The Hit first, not realizing it was part of a series. I am glad I read this book next so I could get a little background on some of the characters that were present in that book. But on to this amazing read!

This is the book where we first meet agency employee Will Robie. He gets called out to make a kill and when he walks in to an apartment where it’s a young mother, he freezes and can’t do it. Something seems off. Bullets fly through the window, killing the mother and her child, and threatening Robie’s life. It turns out Robie’s gut feeling was right and the young mother should have never been killed. Now Robie is being hunted by someone in his own agency to be taken out.

Who went rogue within his agency? This book takes us on a twisty, turny tale to find out. Along the way Robie ends up helping a 14 year old, Julie, who has just lost both of her parents. He notices a man about to kill her on a bus and when he intervenes, saves her life. They both get off the bus and as soon they do it explodes, killing everyone on board except them. What is going on?

I was highly intrigued the whole story. It was interesting to see how various events intertwined together and how Robie and Julie end up needing each other. It was thrilling, intoxicating, and a joy ride that I did not want to see end. It was action packed

Overall I am giving this book 5 stars. When I read a book and go, “just one more chapter,” for 5 or so extra chapters, it’s a great read. I enjoyed how Robie and Julie worked together and the ending was one I did not see coming. Not even from a mile away. It just came out of left field for me. Wow. It also left any loose ends tied up and made me smile. I cannot wait to read the 3rd book in this series! Any fellow David Baldacci fans out there?

Title: The Innocent

Author: David Baldacci

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Release Date: April 17, 2012

ISBN-10: 1455519006

Buy It On Amazon

Book Review: The Girl Without Skin

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I have ever read that has been translated. While reading this book I could tell it had been translated as some parts didn’t quite make sense, but, it did not detract away from this book. There are a lot of Greenlandic names as this book takes place in Nuuk, Greenland. Those names took some getting used to and by the end of the book they were a breeze!

The story begins with Matthew Cave, a journalist who has sought out a new life in Nuuk; one where he doesn’t have to remember his pregnant wife. He gets called to go out and report on the uncovering of a Norseman (pre-Viking) mummy. Little does he know what he is about to stumble upon.

Slight spoiler alert: the mummy is not that of a Norseman, but of a recent murder.

Trigger warning.This book details sexual abuse in young girls. As the story progresses we find a link to this mummy and a few unsolved murders from years ago. Matthew meets Tupaarnaq, a young woman accused of killing her family (her time was served in prison), and together they dig deeper in to what is really going on. The mummy disappears and another is murdered as Matthew starts to investigate. The story begins to be told in 1973 and present day (2014) as Matthew believes the current murders are connected to the disappearance of police officer Jakob Pederson and a sex abuse ring he was investigating. I won’t delve any deeper as I don’t want to ruin the book for you!

Overall, I am giving this book a solid 4-star rating. It is a true Scandi crime novel and an alluring one at that. I could not put this down. Nordbo does a beautiful job at painting amazing details in the surrounding environment in this book as well, I felt as if I was in Greenland myself. I did predict the ending of the book, however, there is enough action going on to keep you happy even with the predictability. If you are a fan of crime novels this is a must read for you! The Kindle edition is out now and the paperback version will be released on June 11, 2019!

Title: The Girl Without Skin

Author: Mads Peder Nordbo

Translator: Charlotte Barslund

Publisher: Text Publishing Company

Release Date: Kindle Edition- October 1, 2018

Paperback Edition- June 11, 2019

ASIN: B07DZL7PSD

IBSN-10: 1925603830

Book Review: Slay Bells

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review. I apologize for the late holiday review (yes, I finished this in 2018), but, I’m still watching Hallmark Christmas movies. I love the holidays!

This was my first cozy mystery read. I will warn you right now, I am apparently not a cozy mystery genre fan. I found this book to be too cheesy at times and lacked some substance for me. However, I can look past what makes a cozy mystery a cozy mystery and provide an honest review about the overall writing.

Despite all the cheesiness, I was hooked in to this book. The premise is a troupe of performers stay at Plum Cottage while they perform nightly during the Christmas Festival in Christmas Village. There are a lot of characters introduced in the beginning, to the point where it’s overwhelming, and are quite eccentric. Mrs. Claus helps her friend who owns Plum Cottage and suddenly one of the troupe members is murdered.

What intrigued me was how the murder happened and who did it. I could not forecast how exactly the murder happened nor could I figure out who did it (until much later in the book). A second murder also occurs which is also as equally puzzling as the first; this is why I kept reading.

The premise of the murders was so mind boggling that I ignore the cheesiness of the book just to figure out how they were committed. Mrs. Claus has a lot to do with solving the murders, which is something that is a bit bizarre. And yes, there are references to her husband who is very busy this time of year, along with her pet ferrets, coincidentally named after famous reindeer. I would have preferred a more realistic storyline instead of a happier, light one, but, to each their own.

I will say I was shocked with how both murders were committed. I was not surprised at who did it, the author alludes to who did it as the book progresses. However, those murders! I really could not figure out in my head how they were committed and just wow. The first body is found in the snow with no footprints around it. I will say that how the murder occurred is revealed at the very end and blew my mind. The second murder is crazy in its own right as well. If not for the uniqueness of these murders, I doubt I would have kept reading.

Overall, I would rate this book 3.5 stars (which ultimately rounds up to 4 stars on Goodreads and Amazon). I would recommend this book if you’re into a puzzling murder case around Christmas time and can look past an overly cheesy barrage of characters and storyline. If you know you do not like cozy mysteries, don’t pick this book up. If you are curious, go ahead and try it, just know that I warned you.

Title: Slay Bells: A Christmas Village Mystery

Author: T.C. Wescott

Publisher: Better Mousetrap Books

Release Date: November 23, 2018

ISBN-10: 1732135819

Quick Link To Amazon Here