THE WHISPER MAN

Author:  Alex North

Genre:  Thriller, Standalone

Published:  2019

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format:  eBook

Yearly Count:  26

From NetGalley:

After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank.

But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man.

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window...

Thriller?  Eh.  Not so much.  I was never fully engaged with the story, but was somewhat interested.  The writing was fine, the characters were okay, but there just wasn't enough to make me want to read into the night.  I did finish it -- that says something.

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Celadon Books and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

THE ESCAPE ROOM

Author: Megan Goldin

Genre:  Thriller, Standalone 

Published:  2019

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format:  eBook

Yearly Count:  24

From NetGalley:

Welcome to the escape room. Your goal is simple. Get out alive.

In the lucrative world of finance, Vincent, Jules, Sylvie, and Sam are at the top of their game. They’ve mastered the art of the deal and celebrate their success in style—but a life of extreme luxury always comes at a cost.

Invited to participate in an escape room as a team-building exercise, the ferociously competitive co-workers crowd into the elevator of a high rise building, eager to prove themselves. But when the lights go off and the doors stay shut, it quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary competition: they’re caught in a dangerous game of survival.

Trapped in the dark, the colleagues must put aside their bitter rivalries and work together to solve cryptic clues to break free. But as the game begins to reveal the team’s darkest secrets, they realize there’s a price to be paid for the terrible deeds they committed in their ruthless climb up the corporate ladder. As tempers fray, and the clues turn deadly, they must solve one final chilling puzzle: which one of them will kill in order to survive?

This was incredibly unbelievable, but I enjoyed it anyway.  Odd, but true.  I much prefer more realistic reads, but I was curious and would pick this up to find out more!  There were two time frames:  an elevator team building exercise and the events that lead up to it.  That, too, was not my favorite style.  So, with an unbelievable storyline and a format I'm not fond of, I still enjoyed this book.  That says something.  The actual writing was an easy read.

Thoughts of Joy

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

THE SUSPECT

Author:  Fiona Barton

Genre:  Mystery, Kate Waters #3

Published:  2019

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Various

Yearly Count:  23

From NetGalley:

When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft, and frantic with worry. What were the girls up to before they disappeared?

Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth—and this time is no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, whom she hasn’t seen in two years, since he left home to go travelling.

As the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think...

This was just okay.  I didn't dislike it, but didn't like it either.  Unfortunately, I never connected with any of the characters, and I was never curious as to what happened.

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with this eGalley.

THE OTHER WOMAN

Author:  Sandie Jones

Genre:  Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2018

Personal Rating:  3.75/5

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Clare Corbett

Yearly Count:  22

From Goodreads:

Emily thinks Adam’s perfect; the man she thought she’d never meet. But lurking in the shadows is a rival; a woman who shares a deep bond with the man she loves.

Emily chose Adam, but she didn’t choose his mother Pammie. There’s nothing a mother wouldn’t do for her son, and now Emily is about to find out just how far Pammie will go to get what she wants: Emily gone forever.

I was interested, but didn't find it all to be realistic.  Some choices were ridiculous, but that's life, isn't it?  Also, it got a bit choppy when the story was trying to move forward.

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THE WOMAN INSIDE

Author:  E. G. Scott

Genre:  Thriller, Standalone

Published:  2019

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format:  ebook  

Yearly Count:  11


From NetGalley:

Rebecca didn’t know love was possible until she met Paul, a successful, charismatic, married man with a past as dark as her own. Their pain drew them together with an irresistible magnetism; they sensed that they were each other’s ideal (and perhaps only) match.

But twenty years later, Paul and Rebecca are drowning as the damage and secrets that ignited their love begin to consume their marriage. Paul is cheating on Rebecca, and his affair gets messy fast. His mistress is stalking them with growing audacity when Rebecca discovers Paul’s elaborate plan to build a new life without her. And though Rebecca is spiraling into an opiate addiction, it doesn’t stop her from coming up with a devious plot of her own, and this one could end absolutely everything.

Another book that had an interesting beginning, which definitely built my curiosity--until it didn't anymore.  Early on I figured out what was going to happen and just slowly watched it unfold.  Of course I couldn't predict all the details, but even those additions didn't thrill me.

Thoughts of Joy

   

My thanks go to Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing me with this eGalley.

A THOUSAND NAKED STRANGERS

Author:  Kevin Hazzard

Genre:  Memoir, Standalone

Published:  2016

Personal Rating:  3.75/5

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/George Newbern

Yearly Count:  8

From Goodreads:

A former paramedic’s visceral, poignant, and mordantly funny account of a decade spent on Atlanta’s mean streets saving lives and connecting with the drama and occasional beauty that lies inside catastrophe.

I thought I'd step into the life of an EMT/paramedic.  Unfortunately, I think I have been permanently scarred!  I will NEVER look at an ambulance or the paramedics inside the same way.  😟  My emotions ran the gamut, but centralized on how perplexed I was regarding the attitude of the author.  He wasn't a horrible person or anything like that, BUT he definitely didn't have the same nature as I do.  What he said was more disturbing than funny.  I do believe I giggled once, though.  HOWEVER, it does take a special kind of person to deal with and perform the duties emergencies require that arise in the medical field.  What's gross or appalling for some is intriguing and compelling to others.  I get that.  And thank goodness for them.  I'm just looking at them with a little skepticism these days.

Thoughts of Joy

  

HOW IT HAPPENED

Author:  Michael Koryta

Genre:  Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2018

Personal Rating:  3.5/5

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Robert Petkoff

Yearly Count:  6

From NetGalley:

"And that is how it happened. Can we stop now?"

Kimberly Crepeaux is no good, a notorious jailhouse snitch, teen mother, and heroin addict whose petty crimes are well-known to the rural Maine community where she lives. So when she confesses to her role in the brutal murders of Jackie Pelletier and Ian Kelly, the daughter of a well-known local family and her sweetheart, the locals have little reason to believe her story.

Not Rob Barrett, the FBI investigator and interrogator specializing in telling a true confession from a falsehood. He's been circling Kimberly and her conspirators for months, waiting for the right avenue to the truth, and has finally found it. He knows, as strongly as he's known anything, that Kimberly's story-a grisly, harrowing story of a hit and run fueled by dope and cheap beer that becomes a brutal stabbing in cold blood-is how it happened. But one thing remains elusive: where are Jackie and Ian's bodies?

After Barrett stakes his name and reputation on the truth of Kimberly's confession, only to have the bodies turn up 200 miles from where she said they'd be, shot in the back and covered in a different suspect's DNA, the case is quickly closed and Barrett forcibly reassigned. But for Howard Pelletier, the tragedy of his daughter's murder cannot be so tidily swept away. And for Barrett, whose career may already be over, the chance to help a grieving father may be the only one he has left.

I was very engaged with the storyline for most of the book.  The desire to know "how it happened" was strong.  The climax went a bit beyond by the end, and the finale lost its appeal.  If there had been a shocking twist at the very end, I probably would have thought the book was well worth the read.  However, it didn't, and I was disappointed.   It did keep my interest and entertained me, so I'm happy for that.

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Little, Brown & Company and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

AWKWARD

Author:  Svetlana Chmakova

Genre:  YA Graphic Novel, Awkward #3

Published:  2017

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format:  Book

Yearly Count:  52


From Goodreads:

Cardinal rule #1 for surviving school: Don't get noticed by the mean kids.

Cardinal rule #2 for surviving school: Seek out groups with similar interests and join them.

On her first day at her new school, Penelope--Peppi--Torres reminds herself of these basics. But when she trips into a quiet boy in the hall, Jaime Thompson, she's already broken the first rule, and the mean kids start calling her the "nerder girlfriend." How does she handle this crisis? By shoving poor Jaime and running away!

Falling back on rule two and surrounding herself with new friends in the art club, Peppi still can't help feeling ashamed about the way she treated Jaime. Things are already awkward enough between the two, but to make matters worse, he's a member of her own club's archrivals--the science club! And when the two clubs go to war, Peppi realizes that sometimes you have to break the rules to survive middle school!

This first in the trilogy (read them backwards) is not my favorite, but still worthy of a good rating.  The hardcopy of this book had terrific drawings like the others, but it had less color - making it different from the other two.  Not sure what happened there.  Like the others, lessons to be learned in a fun way.

I'm not sure if they all have them in it or not, but raccoons abound!  :)

Thoughts of Joy

BRAVE

Author:  Svetlana Chmakova

Genre:  YA Graphic Novel, Awkward #2

Published:  2017

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format:  Book

Yearly Count:  51


From Goodreads:

In his daydreams, Jensen is the biggest hero that ever was, saving the world and his friends on a daily basis. But his middle school reality is VERY different - math is hard, getting along with friends is hard...Even finding a partner for the class project is a big problem when you always get picked last. And the pressure's on even more once the school newspaper's dynamic duo, Jenny and Akilah, draw Jensen into the whirlwind of school news, social experiment projects, and behind-the-scenes club drama. Jensen's always played the middle school game one level at a time, but suddenly, someone's cranked up the difficulty setting. Will those daring daydreams of his finally work in his favor, or will he have to find real solutions to his real life problems?

I've been reading this series backwards, but no matter. They can all be read independently. This is a good story for middle grades - maybe teach them a thing or two. The art work is terrific - loved it.

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THIS ONE SUMMER

Author:  Mariko & Jillian Tamaki

Genre:  Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2014

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format:  Book

Yearly Count:  50

From Goodreads:

Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. It's a summer of secrets and sorrow and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.

Not much to say about this graphic novel. Some of it felt realistic and some not, but whatever. I continued to read, so that says something.

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THE TWENTY-THREE

Author:  Linwood Barclay

Genre:  Mystery, Promise Falls #3

Published:  2016

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Poe & O'Neill

Yearly Count:  49

From NetGalley:

Everything has been leading to this.

It’s the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, May 23rd, and the small town of Promise Falls, New York, has found itself in the midst of a full-blown catastrophe. Hundreds of people are going to the hospital with similar flu-like symptoms—and dozens have died. Investigators quickly zero in on the water supply. But the question for many, including private investigator Cal Weaver, remains: Who would benefit from a mass poisoning of this town?

Meanwhile, Detective Barry Duckworth is faced with another problem. A college student has been murdered, and he’s seen the killer’s handiwork before—in the unsolved homicides of two other women in town. Suddenly, all the strange things that have happened in the last month start to add up…

Bloody mannequins found in car “23” of an abandoned Ferris wheel…a fiery, out-of-control bus with “23” on the back, that same number on the hoodie of a man accused of assault…

The motive for harming the people of Promise Falls points to the number 23—and working out why will bring Duckworth closer to death than he’s ever been before…

This was a bit of a manic start, then it just took forever to move forward.  I'm glad there will be no more Promise Falls (end of trilogy).  It wasn't my favorite Barclay work - easy listening, though.  I do, however, look forward to more standalones.  He's a comfort read/listen for me.  Hooray for that!

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

Author:  David Grann

Genre:  Non-Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2017

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/
Patton, Lee & Campbell

Yearly Count:  46

From Goodreads:

In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.

Then, one by one, they began to be killed off.

A true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history.

Oh my goodness!  I feel a bit naive, but I'll just chalk it up to nobody told me!  While this was quite a tragic part of history, I think it could have been told in a better fashion.  Maybe audio wasn't the way to go with this one, because I do recommend it.

Thoughts of Joy

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL

Author:  Simon Schwartz

Genre:  Graphic Memoir, Standalone

Published:  2015

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format:  Book

Yearly Count:  45

From Goodreads:

Simon Schwartz was born in 1982 in East Germany, at a time when the repressive Socialist Unity Party of Germany controlled the area. Shortly before Simon's birth, his parents decided to leave their home in search of greater freedoms on the other side of the Berlin Wall. But East German authorities did not allow the Schwartzes to leave for almost three years. In the meantime, Simon's parents struggled with the costs of their decision: the loss of work, the attention of the East German secret police, and the fragmentation of their family.

I learned a little from this read, but didn't find it as detailed or riveting as it could have been. It's told in a simplistic manner, which is always a good thing for young readers, though.  I would have liked a little more of something. 

Thoughts of Joy

SAY WHAT YOU WILL

Author:  Cammie McGovern

Genre:  YA Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2014

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/
Rebecca Lowman

Yearly Count:  44

From Goodreads:

Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can't walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized.

When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other's lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.

This was just okay for me.   I've discovered that this type of storyline just isn't my cup of tea.  Or at least it doesn't rank up there as a good read. 

 Thoughts of Joy

NOTHING STAYS BURIED

Author:  P. J. Tracy

Genre:  Mystery, Monkeywrench #8

Published:  2017

Personal Rating:  3/5 (just okay)

Format:  eBook

Yearly Count:  41

From NetGalley:

When Minneapolis homicide detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth are called to a crime scene in a heavily wooded city park, everything about the setting is all too familiar. And when they discover a playing card on the victim's body, their worst fears are confirmed—there’s a serial killer operating in the city for the first time in years.

Across town, Grace MacBride and her unconventional partners at Monkeewrench Software find themselves at both personal and career crossroads. Weary of the darker side of their computer work for law enforcement, they agree to take on a private missing-persons case in a small farming community in southwestern Minnesota.

As the violence accelerates in Minneapolis, Magozzi and Gino soon realize their killer is planning to complete the deck, and they enlist Monkeewrench to help stop the rampage. As a baffling tangle of evidence accumulates, the cops and Monkeewrench make the unlikely connections among a farmer’s missing daughter, a serial killer, and a decades-old stabbing that brings them face-to-face with pure evil.

I found this installment of the Monkeywrench crew to be just okay. Nothing particularly grabbed me or even interested me. That's a bit disappointing, but I'll keep reading the series.  I enjoy the characters, and there's an addition coming soon.

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Penguin Group and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

TENTH OF DECEMBER

Author:  George Saunders

Genre:  Short Story Collection, Standalone

Published:  2013

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/
George Saunders

Yearly Count:  40

From Goodreads:

Writing brilliantly and profoundly about class, sex, love, loss, work, despair, and war, Saunders cuts to the core of the contemporary experience. These stories take on the big questions and explore the fault lines of our own morality, delving into the questions of what makes us good and what makes us human.

Another short story collection with a 3.5/5 rating.  While, most landed in the okay - good realm, I did really like some of the stories. Overall, it was a good collection.

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TO DIE BUT ONCE

Author:  Jacqueline Winspear

Genre:  Maisie Dobbs Series #14

Published:  2018

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/Orlagh Cassidy

Yearly Count:  36


From Goodreads:

Spring 1940. With Britons facing what has become known as "the Bore War"—nothing much seems to have happened yet—Maisie Dobbs is asked to investigate the disappearance of a local lad, a young apprentice craftsman working on a "hush-hush" government contract. As Maisie’s inquiry reveals a possible link to the London underworld, another mother is worried about a missing son—but this time the boy in question is one beloved by Maisie.

I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator, which is nothing new.  Also, true to form, I loved being back with Maisie, as well.  The storyline was good, but not one that kept me intrigued to the point of not wanting to put it down.  

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CRUSH

Author:  Svetlana Chmakova 

Genre:  YA Graphic Novel, Awkward #3

Published:  2018

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format:  eBook

Yearly Count:  35

From NetGalley:

Jorge seems to have it all together. He's big enough that nobody really messes with him, but he's also a genuinely sweet guy with a solid, reliable group of friends. The only time he ever really feels off his game is when he crosses paths with a certain girl... But when the group dynamic among the boys starts to shift, will Jorge be able to balance what his friends expect of him versus what he actually wants?

Perfect for YA (and others as well)!  :)  The characters were true to life, as well as the scenarios.  The drawings were terrific, and it read very smoothly.  I discovered that this is the third book in this series.  Oops!  However, that made no difference in my reading pleasure.  I will be picking up the others.

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Yen Press and NetGalley for providing me with this eGalley.

EVERY LAST LIE

Author:  Mary Kubica

Genre:  Fiction, Standalone

Published:  2017

Personal Rating:  3.5/5 (good)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/
Robins & Hamilton

Yearly Count:  34

From NetGalley:

Clara Solberg’s world shatters when her husband and their four-year-old daughter are in a car crash, killing Nick while Maisie is remarkably unharmed. The crash is ruled an accident…until the coming days, when Maisie starts having night terrors that make Clara question what really happened on that fateful afternoon.

Tormented by grief and her obsession that Nick’s death was far more than just an accident, Clara is plunged into a desperate hunt for the truth. Who would have wanted Nick dead? And, more important, why? Clara will stop at nothing to find out—and the truth is only the beginning of this twisted tale of secrets and deceit.

Told in the alternating perspectives of Clara’s investigation and Nick’s last months leading up to the crash, master of suspense Mary Kubica weaves her most chilling thriller to date—one that explores the dark recesses of a mind plagued by grief and shows that some secrets might be better left buried.

EEK!  I don't remember a lot of specifics of this story (it's now two months later with no notes, except for a rating).  :(  I do know that I was curious to find out what was truly going on and was a bit disappointed in the ending - a little lack luster.  And, I thought emotions were played out well, except that the daughter's involvement bothered me.

Thoughts of Joy

My thanks go to Harlequin and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.

EMMA IN THE NIGHT

Author:  Wendy Walker

Genre:  Mystery, Standalone

Published:  2017

Personal Rating:  3.75/5 (good +)

Format/Narrator:  Audiobook/
Plummer & Whelan

Yearly Count:  33

From NetGalley:

One night three years ago, the Tanner sisters disappeared: fifteen-year-old Cass and seventeen-year-old Emma. Three years later, Cass returns, without her sister Emma. Her story is one of kidnapping and betrayal, of a mysterious island where the two were held. But to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Abby Winter, something doesn't add up. Looking deep within this dysfunctional family Dr. Winter uncovers a life where boundaries were violated and a narcissistic parent held sway. And where one sister's return might just be the beginning of the crime.

I liked this for the most part.  The few surprises along the way kept me interested.  Being told what happened instead of bringing the reader along was definitely a drawback, but the psychological disorder of narcissism was interesting.  Also, there were times of confusion as to who was talking or what timeframe we were in or if it what was being shared was true or not.  Overall, I still enjoyed it.

Thoughts of Joy 

My thanks go to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with the eGalley.