Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza

September 30, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Nine Elms by Robert Bryndza
Kate Marshall Series Book 1
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (426 pages)
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

From the breakthrough international bestselling author of The Girl in the Ice, a breathtaking, page-turning novel about a disgraced female detective’s fight for redemption. And survival…

Kate Marshall was a promising young police detective when she caught the notorious Nine Elms serial killer. But her greatest victory suddenly turned into a nightmare. Traumatized, betrayed, and publicly vilified for the shocking circumstances surrounding the cannibal murder case, Kate could only watch as her career ended in scandal.

Fifteen years after those catastrophic events, Kate is still haunted by the unquiet ghosts of her troubled past. Now a lecturer at a small coastal English university, she finally has a chance to face them. A copycat killer has taken up the Nine Elms mantle, continuing the ghastly work of his idol.

Enlisting her brilliant research assistant, Tristan Harper, Kate draws on her prodigious and long-neglected skills as an investigator to catch a new monster. Success promises redemption, but there’s much more on the line: Kate was the original killer’s intended fifth victim…and his successor means to finish the job.

Digging into the past unearths more than Kate bargained for.

Kate is a complicated heroine with an intense past. When she caught the Nine Elms serial killer, it should have been the crowning achievement in her budding career. Instead, certain personal decisions were made public forcing Kate to leave her career as a detective far behind. I do think the combination of events in Kate’s past struck me as a little over the top. I can’t give details without spoiling the plot, but I will say that while none of the things that happen to her are completely implausible, together it did seem to be a bit of a stretch. However, because Kate is such a down to earth character, I was able to put my doubts aside and enjoy the story.

Kate is easy to admire. She is smart, caring, courageous, and has a strong sense of honor. Despite all that has happened to her, she never plays the victim. She doesn’t make excuses for her mistakes nor does she take pleasure in the mistakes of others. There was a moment when she could have easily lashed out at others who were at fault, but Kate chooses to take the high road. In that moment, she more than earned my respect.

As compelling as the plot and characters of Nine Elms are, I could not read this book straight through. Some of the characters and their actions made my skin crawl. The serial killer’s victims are murdered in a particularly disturbing way. As the layers of this mystery are peeled back and connections between various characters are made, the tone becomes even darker. I had to put the book aside periodically because I needed a break before diving back into that world. Despite this issue, I enjoyed getting to know Kate and found the conclusion to be satisfying.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to read Nine Elms. I recommend it to anyone looking for a dark thriller with a compelling heroine.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Saved By the Pink Flamingo by Linda LaRoque

September 26, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Saved By the Pink Flamingo by Linda LaRoque
Publisher: Five Star Press
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (71 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Can one dinner with an obsessive client tear a marriage apart?

Laurel Thorne has been happily married to her husband, Boyd, for twenty years, but when he forgets their anniversary, she’s more than hurt—she’s angry. Though he’s tied up having dinner with an important client, Meredith Baxter, the picture that someone anonymously sends Laurel says that maybe the dinner wasn’t “all” business.

Laurel packs her art supplies, her clothes, and her dog, then hits the road—alone—in the old retro family travel trailer, known as The Pink Flamingo. After years of devoting her attention to her husband, her college-age twins, and her home, it’s time to see if she can still follow her own dreams of becoming the artist she’s always hoped to be.

But her alone time turns deadly when Boyd’s deranged client decides that he’s the man for her—not for Laurel—and there’s only one way to fix that. Laurel must die. Though the travel trailer has been a haven for her to regain her perspective, can that sanctuary provide what she needs to salvage her marriage—and stay alive? Laurel must keep her wits about her as the crazed Meredith Baxter attempts an all-out assault. Now that she knows what’s truly important, will Laurel be SAVED BY THE PINK FLAMINGO?

Sometimes jealousy is the most dangerous emotion of them all.

I liked the way this story blended the mystery and romance genres together. There were times when the plot wandered a little further in one direction than in the other, but it always swung back again. This was especially true in the scenes that involved Meredith trying to kill Laurel. That sure isn’t something I’d normally expect to find in a romance, so it was nice to have so much experience moving between those genres before the plot reached that point.

It would have been helpful to have a better understanding of Meredith’s motive for pretending to be Boyd’s mistress and attempting to harm the Thornes. Some of the things this character did were so outrageous that I really would have liked to know what she was thinking. The hints about why she was doing them simply weren’t strong enough for me because of how alarming her behavior was.

Laurel and Boyd’s relationship was complex in a good way. They loved each other, but they also had some realistic problems that needed to be resolved. After being together for twenty years, they knew each other inside and out. There were little signs of the depth of their relationship sprinkled through the storyline, and I smiled every time I noticed another one. It was a nice contrast to the conflicts they faced in their marriage.

Saved By the Pink Flamingo is something I’d recommend to fans of the mystery and romance genres alike.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Fog Ladies by Susan McCormick

September 25, 2019 By 2 Comments


The Fog Ladies by Susan McCormick
A San Francisco Cozy Murder Mystery
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary
Length: Full length (321 pages)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Poinsettia

Voted BoM by LASR Readers 2013 copy

Young, overworked, overtired, overstressed medical intern Sarah James has no time for sleuthing. Her elderly neighbors, the spunky Fog Ladies, have nothing but time. When, one by one, old ladies die in their elegant apartment building in San Francisco, Sarah assumes the deaths are the natural consequence of growing old. The Fog Ladies assume murder.

Mrs. Bridge falls off a stool cleaning bugs out of her kitchen light. Mrs. Talwin slips on bubbles in the bath and drowns. Suddenly, the Pacific Heights building is turning over tenants faster than the fog rolls in on a cool San Francisco evening.

Sarah resists the Fog Ladies’ perseverations. But when one of them falls down the stairs and tells Sarah she was pushed, even Sarah believes evil lurks in their building. Can they find the killer before they fall victim themselves?

Why would anyone want to harm the Fog Ladies?

The Fog Ladies are certainly an interesting cast of characters! This diverse group of women is by far my favorite part of the book. Some of the women are more likable than others. My favorites are Mrs. Noonan and Mrs. Gordon. Mrs. Noonan is such a steadying influence within the group. She is very level headed and a much-needed source of comfort for Sarah as she struggles through her internship. Mrs. Noonan is also a wonderful cook and shares her delicious dishes freely. It is one of the ways she shows she cares about those around her. I could practically smell the food she prepared as I read.

Mrs. Gordon is such a sweet, caring soul. She has a gentleness about her that is very endearing. As with Mrs. Noonan, Mrs. Gordon cares deeply for those in need, though she doesn’t have Mrs. Noonan’s confidence. However, Mrs. Gordon under goes a bit of a transformation during the course of the story. I won’t spill too many details, but I will say that Mrs. Gordon finds herself in a situation where she needs to take on an unexpected responsibility. Rather than shrink from the challenge, she rises to the occasion and blossoms in her new found role.

Mrs. Carmichael is also an extremely colorful character! She’s a terrible gossip and is as bold and brash as Mrs. Gordon is timid. I couldn’t help but laugh at her antics, especially when she discovers the joy of Starbucks! She can’t resist poking her head into other people’s business and this gets her into some serious trouble. Unfortunately, I don’t think Mrs. Carmichael has learned her lesson.

I must admit I was able to solve the mystery before I reached the end of the book. There were a few false, though very interesting leads, but I was able to sort through the facts and get to the heart of the matter. I still enjoyed watching Sarah and the rest of the Fog Ladies unravel the mystery. I was on the edge of my seat wondering when and how they would finally fit the pieces of the puzzle together. I also really enjoyed the ending. Again, I can’t say much without spoiling the plot, but I will say an unexpected hero played an integral part in bringing down the culprit.

I had so much fun reading The Fog Ladies. Fans of cozy mysteries would do well to pick up a copy of this thoroughly entertaining book.

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The Low Road by Eleanor Harkstead

September 24, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Low Road by Eleanor Harkstead
Publisher: Pride Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Short story (52 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

Can a lonely driver and a tragic hitch-hiker cheat both time and death?

One night in the pouring rain, Alex stops on Gallows Hill to pick up a hitch-hiker. But when the hitch-hiker vanishes from the passenger seat, Alex fears for his sanity.

Then he discovers that Gallows Hill is a place filled with ghosts—of smugglers, witches and highwaymen.

And a young, tragic hitch-hiker named Joe.

When Joe appears again on Gallows Hill, Alex dares to hope that they can cheat both time and death. But how can there be a future for them when Joe is trapped in a few minutes of a rainy night forty years before?

Alex is driving home along winding country roads in a bad rain storm and is shocked when he comes up to a hitch-hiker out in the crazy weather. Unable to pass by, he stops and gives Joe a lift, the young man heading to a party to catch up with some friends. Sparks fly between Alex and Joe, but nothing is quite as it seems for the two men.

I’m often not a fan of the “strange events” type of stories. I usually like my stories to make sense, or be thoroughly explained so I don’t need to doubt or wonder what’s going on. That’s why I was both surprised and quite delighted at just how much I enjoyed this story. A fair bit of the first half is not clearly explained – there’s plenty of suggestion and as the reader I could make a few educated guesses as to what was really going on. And while usually this sort of haziness drives me nuts I found that the author wrote Alex (and Joe, too) to be interesting enough to carry me along through the doubts and after even just a few pages I desperately wanted to know what, exactly, was going on. In this aspect, I found the writing to be phenomenal.

Readers who enjoy just a very small amount of creepiness (along the lines of ghosts, spirits or haunting) but don’t want anything so strong that they can’t read it alone or at night should be as delighted with this story as I was. This isn’t a mystery story in the traditional sense – no real “who done it” or even crime/problem as such, but I definitely felt there was a strong element of suspense in the story and a mystery in the sense of Alex trying to work out exactly what was going on – both past and present – with Joe and the situation they found themselves in. My only very slight disappointment is that I didn’t feel there was a clear – or properly rational – explanation for the way the story ended. It’s happy and I was satisfied where Alex and Joe were left in a romantic/relationship sense, but I feel I would have been more satisfied if a bit more time had been spent explaining how things came to turn out like they did.

If readers are looking for a romantic story this might not hit the right spot for them. I enjoyed the chemistry and attraction between the two men finding it sweet and nostalgic how they shared a few steamy kisses but not any stronger intimacy. The emotions and growing attachment between Alex and Joe were very satisfying and I felt this should help appeal to readers who like a bit of romance in their stories but don’t want anything too heavy or intimate.

A good and solid read, I enjoyed this story a lot and will happily try other stories by this author.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Jaguar And Grizzly by Julia Talbot

September 23, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Jaguar And Grizzly by Julia Talbot
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (169 pages)
Other: M/M, Anal Play
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Fern

A client with a cheating wife, a warehouse of cult members, and someone with a deadly vendetta—just a day’s work for Apex Investigations. Or is it?

Bear shifter “Grizz” Locke is ex-military and ready for PI work, which if not exactly safe seems less likely to get him killed on a daily basis. The added bonus of teaming up with former lover, Brock, a jaguar shifter, is all the incentive Grizz needs.

Brock can be a grumpy kitty, but has found a home and family at Apex. And now as luck would have it, he has a chance to rekindle his romance with Grizz. They might even rebuild their mate bond, severed years ago—as long as they don’t manage to get killed first.

When an enemy targets the Apex team, Brock and Locke will fight with all they have to protect their own. To enjoy life and love as fate intended, they will have to find out who wants them dead before someone at the agency pays the ultimate price.

Brock has been badly burned physically and emotionally in the past by an ex-lover. He and Locke have a complicated history, but Brock wasn’t ready to trust again and so he pushed the Grizzly bear away. Both men have managed to come back together and been given a second change. They’ve both changed, but some things – like the sizzling chemistry between them – remain the same. Can they make it work this time around?

I really enjoyed this strongly paranormal full length story. While it’s the second in the Apex Investigations series I was pleased that it can easily be read as a stand alone story. I found both Brock and Locke to be interesting and layered characters, and while the chemistry and blossoming relationship between them was fairly smooth the trappings of plot around them – the PI agency and some of their cases – was more than enough plot, conflict and complications to keep me happily and eagerly reading away.

I adored all the characters of the PI Agency. I love it when a good story has a strong and large base of solid secondary characters, and I certainly found that the other PIs fit that bill. I am definitely anticipating more books to come in this series and feel the readers will be spoiled for choice whom among those left should be featured next.

While the paranormal world doesn’t differ too much from our own, there were enough references to difficulties between the various shifters (like alluding to the differences between “cats and dogs”) and enough magical shenanigans and world-building that I feel readers should be able to follow along at the more paranormal aspects to the world. Readers looking for something strongly sci-fi or deeply entrenched in paranormal lore mightn’t find themselves satisfied. But personally I felt there was ample magic and shifter side-plot to keep most readers – including myself – very happy with that side of the story. There was a strong element of conducting PI investigations which I also felt slotted this book thoroughly into the Mystery sub-category, though this wasn’t a “who done it” classic style of mystery.

With excellent characters, a whole bunch of steamy sex and a varied and delightful cast of strong secondary characters I found this to be a great read and one I really enjoyed. I will be eagerly looking for the next few in this series.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Pocket Full of Posies by L.A. Kennedy

September 20, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Pocket Full of Posies by L.A. Kennedy
Publisher: Totally Bound
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (197 pages)
Other: M/F
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Moonflower

Ring-a-round the Rosie, a pocket full of posies, Ashes! Ashes! We all fall down.

The Nursery Killer commits crimes so brutal that they have changed the lives of even the most hardened. A nationwide manhunt ensues for the gruesome serial killer. Leaving behind nursery rhymes at every scene, the killer taunts the police and public with letters to the newspapers. Psychologist Dr. Mary Grant’s life was destroyed when the killer chose her husband as victim number two.

Now, after three years, the FBI has come to her for help. Front and center is Mary’s newfound love interest, Special Agent Brock Hale. Mary’s life changes once again as a seemingly straightforward consultation cartwheels out of control. Mary is now the target and those she loves are at risk.

The killer leaves shocking crime scenes that stain the minds of all who work them. The relentless manhunt can only end in a chilling confrontation with the essence of pure psychological evil. Active until the rhyme ends and with no time to spare, the team is pulled down a strange, twisted path of smoke and mirrors, where anyone could be next and the victims can be as guilty as the killer.

Imagine leaving for work when you’re not supposed to be there, but you’ve been called in for an emergency. Upon your return home you find your dead husband in the hallway. And after you have moved countries and tried to rebuild your life, the man you are having sex with turns out to be FBI, and bringing you into a case you really don’t want to be involved in.

This book is definitely a dark psychological thriller with romantic elements. The relationship between our two main characters takes a back seat to the whodunit part of the story, and moves very quickly in fits and starts. This is a very descriptive book, which might not be a good thing if you have a weak stomach! It did seem a bit disjointed to me at times, with some of the characters having a distinctive, but sometimes hard to follow, way of speaking.

This isn’t a book to ‘enjoy’, but it is one that will keep you gripped. So long as you don’t mind blood and guts (literally), then I have no hesitation in recommending it.

Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Dark Storm by Karen Harper

September 18, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Dark Storm by Karen Harper
A South Shores Novel
Publisher: Mira
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (370 pages)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

There are some forces you can’t outrun…

Forensic psychologist Claire Markwood has experienced her share of disaster. But nothing could prepare her for her sister, Darcy, going missing. Claire rushes to the butterfly sanctuary where Darcy has been working, prepared to do what she does best—work the clues. But her sister, along with her car and some of the sanctuary’s rarest species of butterflies, has seemingly vanished without a trace.

Amid a flurry of mysterious leads and dead ends, Claire and her criminal lawyer husband, Nick, tap every resource at their disposal. But the deeper they dig, the more unsettling the case becomes, dredging up old family secrets that shake the foundation of everything Claire thought to be true. Because some secrets aren’t just threatening—they’re deadly.

Wow, was this a nail-biter! I started this novel and I couldn’t put it down. I began reading it early morning and finished it late in the day and I jumped on my computer as soon as I finished so I could share what I liked while it was still fresh. There’s a lot to like about Dark Storm.

I guess this is the final book in the South Shore series but that didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that I hadn’t met Nick or Claire, Bronco, Darcy or Jace before. It wasn’t an issue that I hadn’t read the previous books because this novel was purely about Claire and Nick’s race to save someone they love. It was about their present. Most supporting secondary characters were family or friends like family, helping Nick and Claire in their search and caring for their kids. Actually, that’s something that impressed me – Ms. Harper never forgot the kids. With everything else that was going on, Claire remained a mom, Nick a dad, and they were very much dedicated to their family’s safety and well-being. The writing was so solid, it made those loving elements very clear.

Speaking of elements, as I read this novel, hurricane Dorian just finished harming the Bahamas and was threatening the East Coast. When Ms. Harper wrote about a hurricane, basing it on the one that hit back in 2017 (as per her Author’s Note), I’m sure she never imagined that a hurricane would hit again the same year this book was published. As I was reading about Jace and his hurricane hunter plane, and the warnings being issued for the residents in the book, I was listening to The Weather Channel. It was rather freaky to read things that were going on in the book in my hands at the same time listening and watching it actually happening with Florida and the Carolinas. For effect, for timing, for sheer impact, reading this novel at the same time real life mirrored it made Dark Storm an even more dramatic read. It reinforced the realism and proved the author did her homework. She has the skill to create the feeling of time running out, to bring the fear and worry for her characters alive, and the author put me in the middle of the action. When Ms. Harper put Claire through the wringer, I was along for the ride. By the time Ken arrived with the flashing lights, I was emotionally exhausted. That couldn’t have happened if the author hadn’t had the skill set to make a reader feel connected and invested in a character’s well-being. Ms. Harper has that skill in spades.

Here is where I share that I talked to the book. I stopped at a few points, held the book in my hands and scolded it “Come on! Can’t you see it’s too perfect? Don’t trust it!” or, “I knew it! I knew it! I told you so!” or my favorite – “That’s the guilty party! I just know it!”… Until I found out I was wrong and had to think back to figure out what clues I missed. No one was home when I was reading the exciting parts so I could walk around my living room, talk to the novel, sit down and read some more, and get up and start talking to the book again. I tell you, I had more conversations with Dark Storm than any book I’ve read in a long while. I might seem crazy, or it might be because this was a really good story. I vote for the story.

The tie-in between the butterflies and the sea creature was bizarre, especially when I found out that it wasn’t totally fiction. That was a fascinating discovery. Actually, I am really glad I read the Author’s Note at the end because Ms. Harper shared some really cool things. Like I said before, she did her homework.

The best thing about this was the wrap-up and the happy ending. What happened to Nita at the end, that’s another thing I could relate to because that’s what happened to me, sort of. It doesn’t have to be a hurricane though. Any big, nasty storm can have that effect. I can validate the truth of that.

All in all, Dark Harbor was a super great read. It’s gripping, suspenseful, fast-paced and almost impossible to put down. There’s murder, weird plots and some unexpected surprises. The mystery kept me guessing and the crime was intense, but what made this book wonderful was meeting Claire and Nick. They were a terrific couple and are perfect together. I enjoyed seeing Nick being able to understand his wife, supporting her even when she got into all those pickles, and those passionate clinches of overwhelming love just when they needed it most. If you enjoy a well written mystery, intense suspense and husband and wife sleuths, then I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book.

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Soil and Ceremony by Julia Byrd

September 10, 2019 By 7 Comments


Soil and Ceremony by Julia Byrd
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing
Genre: Historical, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full Length (254 pgs)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rated: 4 Stars
Review by Rose

A history of loss and a terrible stammer have led gravedigger Benjamin Hood to a life of isolation.

When a rash of untimely deaths sweeps through his small English village, he cannot stand by in silence. To uncover the truth about the lives lost, he takes up a long-neglected role of responsibility among the townspeople.

As Benjamin questions the victims’ families, he finds that beautiful widow Juno Stephens has preceded him in each case. She makes no secret of her odd midnight ceremonies and dark powers of persuasion. The villagers are whispering about a woman bearing a lethal hex.

Is Juno the source of danger in the village, or a victim of it? Benjamin must resist her beguiling ways and decide if he can trust her…until another death sets his smoldering worries ablaze.

This is my first introduction to Ms. Byrd’s work, but it will definitely not be my last. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which was more mystery than romance (though there was definitely an element of romance…it was not, to me, the forefront of the book).

The cast of characters was relatively small – the village is there in the backdrop, but the main cast of characters can be distilled to two couples and two mothers. And, I would love to read more about all of them. I can see Ben and Juno getting mixed up with other mysteries. I would really like to revisit them.

The mystery was first rate – I was definitely surprised with the twists and turns. The characters were likable, and I found myself cheering them on (as well as shaking my head in disbelief at how slow on the uptake Ben was at times).

All in all, a pleasant way to spend a few hours.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Two Lila Bennetts by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

September 6, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Two Lila Bennetts by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Full length (307 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Cholla

Lila Bennett’s bad choices have finally caught up with her. And one of those decisions has split her life in two. Literally.

In one life, she’s taken hostage by someone who appears to be a stranger but knows too much. As she’s trapped in a concrete cell, her kidnapper forces her to face what she’s done or be killed. In an alternate life, she eludes her captor but is hunted by someone who is dismantling her happiness, exposing one secret at a time.

Lila’s decorated career as a criminal defense attorney, her marriage, and her life are on the line. She must make a list of those she’s wronged—both in and out of the courtroom—to determine who is out to get her before it’s too late. But even if she can pinpoint her assailant, will she survive? And if she does, which parts of her life are worth saving, and which parts must die? Because one thing’s for certain—life as Lila Bennett knew it is over.

Lila Bennett’s day starts out amazingly well. She won a big case and, despite the anger from the prosecution’s side, she’s flying high on that victory. That is, until her boss convinces her to meet him for a drink before going home. It is her biggest mistake in more ways than she’ll ever know.

This was one of the more unusual books I’ve read this year. At the moment of the attempted kidnapping, Lila’s world splits into two realities. In one, she narrowly escapes her captor and goes on to try and right all the wrongs she’s committed in the past, trying for a better life. In the other, she’s taken hostage and held captive. And right up until the very end, you’re not sure which reality is the real one. Even then, you’re still left wondering if maybe you were duped. I know I put the book down after I finished and wondered whether either reality had been real.

At first, I wasn’t sure what to think about Lila, but the more you get to know her and her past deeds, you realize she wasn’t a very good person. However, she really does strive for redemption though both realities, accepting her faults and wanting to make amends. Captured Lila has no other choice, but Free Lila is making amends as a thank you for avoiding the fate of Captured Lila.

I was very proud of myself with this novel, however. It’s very, very rare for me to figure out who the bad guy is when I’m reading this kind of book. I’m not sure if I’m not paying close enough attention or if I’m too absorbed in the story itself to care, but for the first time in recent memory, I figured it out. That said, every time I thought, “Oh, her captor is…” the next chapter had me doubting myself all over again. After all, Lila had no shortage of enemies. Even though I’d figured it out, the reasons for their behavior hadn’t ever occurred to me, so that was still a surprise in the end.

The Two Lila Bennetts is one of the most unusual and engaging novels I’ve read all year. Each reality grabbed my attention and held it. And those rare moments when the two came together made my nerdy little heart shout with joy. The writing duo of Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke have done it again. Every book gets better and better, leaving me eager for the next. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the next novel.

Filed Under: Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,
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