Night of the Mallrats by Nicolina Torres

 

Title:  Night of the Mallrats

Author:  Nicolina Torres

Narrated by:  Jeremy Carlisle Parker, William DeMeritt, Emma Lysy, Charles Constant, Chris Patton, Craig Jessen, Jade Wheeler, Roman Howell, Rosemary Cline, Aaron Landon

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Length: Approximately 11 hours and 23 minutes

Source: Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperperennial for the physical book review copy.  Audiobook purchased from Audible.

Did you visit malls as a teen?  Do you still have a mall you shop at?  My mom worked at an eye doctor at our local mall, and I would spend the day there as a teen while Mom worked in the 1990s.  I loved it. That mall is in sad shape today, but my local mall in Northeast Wisconsin is doing great.

Beechnut Mall is about to be torn down in 2024.  A group of five friends reunite and break into the mall to have one last adventure to remember their youth in the 1990s at the malls peak.  They also hope to find clues to the disappearance in 1994 of their friend Beth at the mall and the murder of her boyfriend Ezra on that exact night.  They suddenly find themselves in the past, witnessing the events of the day Beth disappeared in 1994.  Will they finally find out what happened to Beth?

My thoughts on this book:

·       I LOVED the on-point references to the stores of the malls in the 1990s, movies, music, and books.  I loved and read R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike teen horror novels.  I enjoy hearing them referenced and titles that I read and enjoyed.  Reading this book brought me back to that place in time.  I was the exact age of the characters in 1994 so it made this an especially fun read.

·       Jane Austen was also referenced several times.

·       The audiobook had great multicast narration to tell the story including interviews.  I liked that it also showed on the audiobook who the narrator was of each section.

·       The genres were mystery, thriller, time travel, horror, 90’s nostalgia, and LGBTQIA+.

·       It had a dual timeline between 1994 and 2024.

·       There was a sad statement how 1994 was a more innocent time for the characters’ lives as it was before Columbine, 9/11, endless wars, etc.  It made me sad realizing it was a true statement.

·       I liked how the characters are looking back as adults at their teenage choices and realizing they didn’t always make good ones.  Life also did not turn out for them the way they thought it would when they were in high school.

·       All the characters had secrets.

·       The ending surprised me as I kept thinking everything did it.  I’m still thinking about it.

Overall, Night of the Mallrats by Nicolina Torres was a fun time travel mystery with some elements of horror.  This book was made for you if you grew up in the 1990s or are a fan of the era. 

Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores

 

Title:  Happy Wife

Author:  Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores

Narrated by:  Saskia Maarleveld

Publisher: Random House Audio

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 43 minutes

Source: Audiobook from Amazon Music and physical copy checked out from the Kewaunee Public Library.  Thank-you!

What genre of books do you like to read for your book clubs?

Nora Davies at twenty-eight is married to a prominent forty-six-year-old lawyer, Will Somerset.  They live in Winter Park, an elite coastal town in Florida.  Nora is having a hard time fitting in with the old guard, but she throws a birthday party for Will inviting them all.   The party goes well, but Will disappears after the party. Where is Will?  Is he working a case or has something nefarious happened to him??

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was the July read for the Rogue Book Club.  I think everyone enjoyed it as a fun summer read type of book. It had great characters and an interesting mystery.

·       This is a Read with Jenna selection.

·       I listened to the audiobook in July, and it was an engaging story with a good narrator.

·       My favorite quote from the audiobook was something like “I’ll have to add a category of friends made while looking for my husband’s killer to my Christmas card list.”

·       The story switches from the present time frame to flashbacks showing how Nora and Will first got together.

·       I did like the inner look into high society in this domestic thriller.

·       As the story progresses, it is discovered that not everything is always as it seems.

·       This was a fast faced light and entertaining mystery.

·       I did not guess the ending.  It seemed rather random.

·       I liked how Will swept Nora off her feet but as time went on, she discovered that not all that glitters is gold.

·       I liked being surprised by the plot, so I don’t want to get into too many details and ruin it for others.

Overall, Happy Wife by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores was a light and fun domestic thriller perfect for a summer read.

Twilight Tactics by Lynette Eason

 

Dawn or twilight?  Which do you prefer?  I am not a morning person and will always prefer twilight!

Thank you to @lynetteeason, @revellfiction, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of Twilight Tactics.

FBI agents Sully Sulivan and Piper Whitaker are taking are care of and hiding 14-year-old witness Ollie Callahan.  Ollie witnessed a mob hit and is being hid until the trial.  As each of their locations has been compromised, Sully hopes that Broken Chain Ranch, which is the home of an old cousin and friend, will be a safe place.

Maya runs Broken Chain Ranch as a miliary vet retreat, a place where veterans can heal from PTSD and gain tools to deal with their lives.  Her friend and fellow vet, Elana, teaches wilderness skills at the ranch.  Elena bonds with Ollie but has secrets of her own. When the ranch comes under attack, is it Ollie or Elena the mysterious attackers are after?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was an action-packed book that you can’t put down!

·       This was a contemporary romance suspense novel.

·       It was a clean read and Christian.

·       Twilight Tactics was the first in the new series, Soldiers in Shadows.  I can’t wait for the next book.

·       I really liked the relationships between characters such as Sully and Ollie, Elena and Ollie, and Sully and Elena.

·       This book also investigated the dark world of prepper and cult lifestyles.  How can you get out of such a situation?

·       The overall theme of the book was that you can be broken, but you can take control of your life, heal, and have a fresh start.  I liked this theme.

·       Ollie is an orphan that has been shuffled through foster care and has experienced things that no teen should have experienced.  I really felt for her.

·       This book is set in the rural Tennessee mountains.

·       It was told through multiple point of views: Elena, Sully, and Ollie.

·       This story was fast paced and kept from on the edge of my seat from the first page through the end.

Overall, Twilight Tactics by Lynette Eason is an action packed contemporary romantic suspense novel with great characters that kept me on the edge of my seat.  It was a great start to a new series.

Served Him Right by Lisa Unger

 

Title:  Served Him Right

Author:  Lisa Unger

Narrated by:  Kristen Sieh, Vivienne Leheny, Brittany Pressley, Soneela Nankani, Tim Paige, Petrea Burchard

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Length: Approximately 12 hour and 8 minutes

Source: Review copy from NetGalley.  Thank-you!

How do you feel about revenge stories?  My favorite is The Count of Monte Cristo.

Ana Blacksmith has recently broken up with her boyfriend Paul.  She organizes a celebration brunch with her sister and best friends.  When Paul is found dead, Ana is a suspect. When one of her friends falls deathly ill after the brunch, Ana rises to the top of the suspect list.  Will Ana and her sister Vera be able to prove her innocence?

My thoughts on this book:

·       This was a very engaging thriller.

·       This was great on audiobook.  It captured my attention and made it so I didn’t want my drives to end.  I loved the cast of narrators.

·       Paul is shown to have many enemies and to be a terrible person.  Why is it that people like that are able to keep hurting people?

·       I liked that the story had the ladies be a part of a family that practices “magic” through the use of herbalism.

·       The book had a riveting and scary intro for a poor woman who is r$%^ed by a boss who drugs her after staying late at work.

·       This book made me ponder the question of taking justice into your own hands – when are you justified?

·       I liked the naughty romance between Ana and the detective on the case, Timothy.

·       There were many point of views in this story.

·       I kept guessing until the end.

Overall, Served Him Right by Lisa Unger was a riveting and engaging thriller.

Shattered by Dr. David Jeremiah and Sam O’Neal

 

Title:  Shattered

Author:  Dr. David Jeremiah and Sam O’Neal

Narrated by:  Roger Wayne

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 58 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible.com with a physical book review copy from @drdavidjeremiah @thomasnelsonfiction @TLCBookTours.  Thank-you!

What is the last action-adventure book that you’ve read or one that you would recommend?

Shattered starts right where book one, Vanished, ended and tells the story of what happens for the first three year after the rapture. The story continues to follow Dr. John Haggerty as he seeks vengeance for the loss of his wife and daughter.  It also follows Abigail who recognizes her own failures and has turned to Christianity. She is gathering the Christian believers still left that are now turning to God.  As the Antichrist takes over, will Abigail and John be able to stay true to God?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This book was an action-packed thriller.

·       The book contained a lot of Biblical prophecy and interpretation of the prophecies.

·       It has a different take on the rapture and prophesies than the popular Left Behind series and is worth reading to see this different story.

·       This is Book #2 is the Vanished series.  I enjoyed Book #1, Vanished.  You should read this series in order to know what is going on.

·       It was interesting to ponder in this book after the rapture when so many have disappeared, how will the world react?

·       It was an interesting look into misinformation and how evil can use misinformation to tell people that it was not the rapture.  People are already conditioned to listen to false information and believe it.  It’s a sad, but true commentary on our current state of affairs in the world and how it can be used for evil.

·       It was an intense story and not a happy one.

·       It was an exciting audiobook to listen to.  I liked the narrator’s voice.

·       This book ends on a cliffhanger.

Overall, Shattered by Dr. David Jeremiah and Sam O’Neal was an exciting end of the world thriller.

 

False Witness by Karin Slaughter

 

Title:  False Witness

Author:  Karin Slaughter

Narrated by:  Kathleen Early

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Length: Approximately 18 hour and 39 minutes

Source: Review copy from NetGalley.  Thank-you!

What book has gotten a mixed reaction in your book club lately?

False Witness was my April pick for the Rogue Book Club and it got a mixed reaction, although that is with myself being the only person that read the entire book.  One other person liked it and was almost through it, and another couldn’t get into it.  That was it for readers of this book at book club.  I am hoping the one person finished it so that we can have a good discussion about it as there was a lot to discuss in this book!

Leigh Collier is a defense attorney at a fancy law firm in Atlanta.  She is currently separated from her husband Walter, but they both work together to co-parent their beloved daughter Maddy.  One night she gets called to work on a case for a man from her past which brings up a lot of traumatic memories involving her estranged sister Callie.  Why did he come back into their lives after all this time and how can they move forward?

·       I have greatly enjoyed Karin Slaughter’s books in the past which is why I picked this book. It did have a very jarring start with a traumatic prologue involving the r%3e of a teenage girl and a murder.  This is what was very off putting to one book club member, but it was a very shocking way to start the story and made me want to figure out what the heck was going on.

·       I liked the references to one of my favorite novels, Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.

·       This book looked into the underside of life with drugs, abuse, r%3e, etc.  It was hard topics to read about.

·       It also explored the relationships between parents and children, between sisters, and between spouses.  What would you be willing to do to save your family?

·       There was grief for past bad decisions and the life that could have been.

·       I loved Dr. Jerry.  He is an old vet who employs Callie as a vet tech.  He is so understanding and caring.  I loved when he finally let Callie know that he knew what was going on and still cared for her.

·       There were great multi layered characters in this novel.

·       It was interesting that living through the Coronavirus Pandemic with the masks, quarantine, etc. is a part of this story with the book coming out in 2021.

·       The story really made me think about justice and whether some of the bad people in this world get justice.  When is it okay to take justice into your own hands?

·       The ending was perfect.

Overall, False Witness by Karin Slaughter was a gritty thriller that delved into tough topics, justice, and what one is willing to do to project one’s family.  I couldn’t stop listening to this audiobook.

Murder Bimbo by Rebecca Novack

 

Title:  Murder Bimbo

Author:  Rebecca Novack

Narrated by:  Jennifer Pickens

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 7 hours and 20 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio. Thank-you!

What is a book you’ve read lately that was out of your comfort zone?  Murder Bimbo is a thriller told through the eyes of a sex worker and is out of my typical comfort zone for reading.

Murder Bimbo is a 32-year-old sex worker, and she has just murdered a political extremist, Meat Neck.  She thought she was working under cover for the government, but things may not be what they appear to be.  She begins writing her story to Justice Bimbo who writes and produces a popular podcast series to get her story out and goes into hiding. Will she be able to save herself?

My thoughts on this audiobook:

·       This book was weird and funny.  It was just what I needed to capture my attention over a long drive on bad roads.

·       The book does try to explain away sex work as just another job, but the nature of the story shows the dangers, disadvantages, and abuse of sex workers.

·       It is told as a first-person narrative story through emails.  The narrative shifts and changes as she tells it. Murder Bimbo is an unreliable narrator that tells her own story with a humorous, snarky, light tone.

·       Trigger warning in that there is s@#ually explicit material and r#pe. 

·       You think you know what is going on with the story, but then it is told differently to a different audience.  The first part are emails to Justice Bimbo where Murder Bimbo is an unwitting part in assassinating Meat Neck.  Part 2, she is emailing her lover what happened, and the story is a lot more complicated.  Part 3 she may be telling the true story of what has happened to the audience. 

·       I was looking for a crazily entertaining novel and this book met the need!

·       The book was full of terrible people, but it was fun, which seems weird to say.

·       What is true?  How do we change our narratives depending on who we are telling our story to?

·       I liked it on audiobook and the narrator captured the tone perfectly.

Overall, Murder Bimbo by Rebecca Novack was a unique political thriller that captured my attention that explored the nature of storytelling and truth.

Sorry for Your Loss by Georgia McVeigh

 

What is a thriller novel, show, or movie that you have enjoyed lately?

Iris has recently lost her fiancé and has joined a local grief group to work through her loss.  While there, she meets the very handsome Jack who has recently lost his wife to cancer.  As Iris plots ways to win Jack’s affections, she discovers things are not what they seem.  What is real and what is deception in Iris and Jack’s world?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is a contemporary psychological thriller.

·       It’s hard to write a review for this one as I don’t want to give anything away.  It’s best to go in not knowing much about the story.

·       There were many twists and turns in this one, some I figured out, and some where a surprise.

·       The story alternates between the present and the past.  Iris lost her twin sister, Marcie, growing up and it details their relationship and Marcie’s fate.

·       The story is set in London.

·       Iris is not a very likeable person, but I was intrigued to see what she would do next.  I also felt sorry for the losses that she had in life.

·       The novel was very action packed at the end and I couldn’t put it down.

·       The story is told as Iris’s inner monologue.

·       I can’t believe this is a debut novel.  I’m interested to see what Georgia McVeigh writes next.

·       The ending did leave me wondering what could happen next. 

Overall, Sorry for Your Loss by Georgia McVeigh was an intriguing contemporary psychological thriller. 

Book Source:  Review copy from Penguin Random House.  Thank-you!

Vanished by Dr. David Jeremiah with Sam O’Neal

What is the last action-adventure book that you enjoyed?

John “Haggs” Haggerty is the leader of a special military unit in charge of stopping pandemics before they spread.  After COVID-19, deadly disease is on the rise as is famine, wars, and earthquakes.  Haggs’ best friend, Caleb, is sure it’s a sign of the approaching rapture, but Haggs isn’t so sure.  Haggs relationship with his wife has fallen apart, but he is trying to rebuild his relationship with his daughter, Sonya.  Will he be able to be a better person and repair his relationships while also helping the world as it falls apart?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was a very readable, intriguing action-adventure story.

·       This is the first in a new series.  I am looking forward to the next book.

·       I loved the characters in this book, especially Haggs, Sonya, and Caleb.

·       I enjoy end times fiction.  If you liked the Left Behind series, you would enjoy Vanished.

·       A lot happens in this book.  It is very action packed and fast paced.

·       Haggs has past pain from the death of a child and abuse as a child from his alcoholic father.  He works through this pain and finally tells the story to Sonya of what happened to her brother.

·       Haggs hires Sonya has an Italian translator. While father and daughter can now spend more time together, it also puts her in danger.

·       There is a great discussion of faith as Caleb and Sonya are believers and try to talk to Haggs about his faith.

·       Genres:  Christian apocalyptic thriller, adventure, suspense, inspirational.

·       There are great book discussion questions at the end for a book club to use.

 Overall, Vanished by Dr. David Jeremiah with Sam O’Neal was a riveting Christian apocalyptic thriller with great characters and story.  I am looking forward to book two!

Book Source:  Thank you to @drdavidjeremiah @thomasnelsonfiction @tlcbooktours for the review copy of this novel as part of the TLC Book Tour.

Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston

 

What is your favorite mystery/thriller? Recommendations please.

Camille Baylis is unhappy in her marriage to lawyer Ben.  He tracks her every move.  She is sure he is hiding something from her so she comes up with a plan with Aubrey Price to have Aubrey take her car and spend a day as her so that Camille can figure out what Ben is up to.  Aubrey is sure Ben knows something about her parents’ deaths.  When Ben is found dead the next day, only one woman has an alibi.  Who murdered Ben and why?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I don’t want to give too much away in my thoughts so they will be brief.

·       The plot is intricately woven and entertaining.

·       I was guessing up until the very end and I was surprised by the ending.

·       I loved the romantic subplot with Aubrey and her protective housemate, Duncan.

·       I enjoyed the alternating viewpoints between Camille, Aubrey, and Hank (Ben’s law partner).

·       I loved The First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston.  Anatomy of an Alibi was good, but not as good as The First Lie Wins.  I think the story was tighter in First Lie Wins.  There was a lot of characters to keep straight in this one. 

Overall, Anatomy of an Alibi by Ashley Elston was an enjoyable contemporary thriller.

Book Source:  Review Copy from NetGalley.  Thank-you!

Retreat by Krysten Ritter with Lindsay Jameson

 

Title:  Retreat

Author:  Krysten Ritter with Lindsay Jameson

Narrated by:  Krysten Ritter

Publisher: Harper Audio

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 41 minutes

Source: Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperperennial for the review copy of the physical book.  Audiobook purchased from audible.

Who is your favorite con artist in book or film?  I love Thomas Crown in the Thomas Crown Affair.

Liz Dawson is a beautiful and smart woman who has lived her life as a serial con artist.  She takes an easy job installing a piece of art in Isabelle Beresford’s vacation villa in Mexico.  When she is mistaken for Isabelle, Liz takes over her life.  She soon finds out, “Oh what a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive.”  What secrets did the real Isabelle have and will Liz make it out alive?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I liked that the main character, Liz, is a con artist and it was interesting to hear her story and how she can pretend to be high class people and scam them.  Even thought she was a con artist; I find myself liking her and rooting for her.

·       This was riveting to listen to on audiobook.

·       This was a fun book to read.

·       I loved the beautiful Mexico setting.  It was nice this week especially with the giant blizzard we had in Northeast Wisconsin.

·       I don’t want to give away the plot, but I sort of guessed the end, but not quite all the way.  There was a great twist!

·       There were a lot of rich people behaving badly in this story.  It was a good escapism read.

·       This was a fast-paced suspense thriller and a quick read.

·       The story is contemporary and a psychological thriller. 

·       The ending was open ended and has kept me thinking.   I do wish it had been a clear ending. 

Overall, Retreat by Krysten Ritter with Lindsay Jameson was a great escapism thriller read.