Mystery

Winter Witness by Tina deBellegarde

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Partners In Crime Book Tours in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Winter Witness by Tina deBellegarde, was an exciting book.  I enjoyed this book but I did find the pace of the book to be slow.  I did love that this author created an entire world for her characters.  All of the people that you come across in this story seem like they are real people out there in the world.  I love it when I find books like this one because I love finding new friends as I am reading.  I did find that this book kept me reading even though at times I thought it could have moved along faster.  I fell in love with Agatha because I love old ladies like her and I love people that are like her in the real world.  This is one of the few books that I didn’t try and figure out what was going on I just enjoyed the journey that this book took me on.  I can’t wait to see what next for these characters in the future.  If you are looking for a new mystery book to check out I would recommend this book to you.

About The Book

Genre: Traditional Mystery
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: September 29, 2020
Number of Pages: 282
ISBN: 978-1-947915-76-3
Series: Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery, #1

When a beloved nun is murdered in a sleepy Catskill Mountain town, a grieving young widow finds herself at the center of the turmoil. Bianca St. Denis is searching for a job and seeking acceptance in her new home of Batavia-on-Hudson. Agatha Miller, the nun’s closest friend and the ailing local historian everyone loves to hate, shares her painful personal history and long-buried village secrets with Bianca. Armed with this knowledge, Bianca unravels the mysteries surrounding the death while dealing with the suspicions of her eccentric neighbors.

However, Bianca’s meddling complicates the sheriff’s investigation as well as his marriage. Can Sheriff Mike Riley escape his painful past in a town where murder and infighting over a new casino vie for his attention?

Danger stalks Bianca as she gets closer to the truth. Can the sheriff solve the mystery before the killer strikes again? Can the town heal its wounds once the truth has been uncovered?

About The Author

Tina deBellegarde lives in Catskill, New York with her husband Denis and their cat Shelby. Winter Witness is the first book in the Batavia-on-Hudson Mystery Series. Tina also writes short stories and flash fiction. When she isn’t writing, she is helping Denis tend their beehives, harvest shiitake mushrooms, and cultivate their vegetable garden. She travels to Japan regularly to visit her son, Alessandro. Tina did her graduate studies in history. She is a former exporter, paralegal, teacher, and library clerk.

Catch Up With Tina deBellegarde:
tinadebellegarde.com, Goodreads, BookBub, Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook!

Buy A Copy

Amazon | Apple Books | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Goodreads | Oblong Books and Music

Let’s Be Friends

Enter To Win

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Tina deBellegarde. There will be 6 winners. Two (2) winners will each win one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. Two (2) winners will each win one (1) physical copy of Winter Witness by Tina deBellegarde (U.S. addresses only) and two (2) winners will each win one (1) eBook of Winter Witness by Tina deBellegarde The giveaway begins on November 1, 2020 and runs through December 2, 2020. Void where prohibited.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Read An Excerpt

(more…)

Last Girls Alive by Jennifer Chase

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Pump Up Your Book in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Last Girls Alive by Jennifer Chase was a good book.  I believe that I read the first book in this series and then this one.  I will go back and read the other books because I enjoyed this author and the characters in this series.  This book wasn’t super suspenseful for me, but that didn’t bother me as I was reading.  I fell in love with Katie during the first book, and I remembered how much I liked her.  As I said before, I need to get the other books that I missed in this series to catch up with what has happened to her in the books that I missed.  I love finding a series like this one because I don’t have to say goodbye to the characters when I finish the book.  I feel like I would get along with Katie if she were a real person.  This book did keep me guessing right up until the end of the book, and I loved that about this book.  If you are looking for an excellent thriller to read this Christmas, I would recommend this book and the entire series, for that matter.

About The Book

Title: LAST GIRLS ALIVE
Author: Jennifer Chase
Publisher: Bookouture
Pages: 364
Genre: Crime Thriller

Half-buried in the muddy earth and surrounded by puddles of water lies the naked body of a beautiful young girl. Her pale skin looks like porcelain in the early morning light. Her fragile arms bent and crooked like a broken doll.

When Detective Katie Scott is called to the discovery of a young girl buried on the grounds of a former children’s home in Pine Valley, California, she’s hopeful it’s the end to a devastating cold case she’s been working on. No one has seen Candace Harlan since she ran away from Elm Hill Manor five years ago. Her death will be a tragedy, but it will also bring peace to those who miss her most. But the girl in the ground is not Candace.

The victim is almost identical to Candace in every way, but fear grips Katie as she takes in the black ink that decorates the girl’s back—a terrifying message tattooed on her skin after she drew her last breath.

Forcing down traumatic memories of losing her own parents, Katie is certain someone mistook this poor soul for Candace, and that this crumbling home for lost girls is at the heart of this terrible crime. She sets to work digging into the tragic history of the owners who lost so many children of their own and tracking down the last six residents and the staff who cared for them—but no one wants to talk, let alone remember.

The next day, as second girl’s body is found down by the creek at high water, the same words etched into her skin. Katie’s worst fear is confirmed: someone is picking off the last of the Elm Hill girls one by one. But what does the tattoo mean? And what monster would target these innocent girls who have already been through so much?

Katie must dig deep to confront her own fears and protect the vulnerable—but as the body count rises further, will there be anyone left to save?

An absolutely gripping, dark, and totally unputdownable serial killer thriller that will keep you racing through the pages all night long. Fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh will read in one sitting!

PRAISE

This novel is about Detective Kati Scott, Kati is a detective for the Pine Valley department. Her and partner work on solving cold cases together.  Kati hasn’t had an easy life but things will be getting worst for her before getting any better.  Kati has a lot of anxiety but she makes it work.  She and her partner are put on a case where a girl from the past is found on the property of a former children’s home in Pine Valley. and it’s up to her and her partner to figure out who the killer is.  This novel was so good. I was hooked from the start, I couldn’t stop reading I just need to find out what happens next with Katie and the case. Katie is a total badass. She is one strong lady. She is a very good female lead.  I loved the story soo much it was full of suspense and mystery.  I loved how it wasn’t very predictable. Things could change at any time and the ending was perfectly full of action. I really enjoyed this book. The writing was perfect and it flowed very well. This is my first Jennifer Chase book, I will definitely be looking for more. This book had everything I like action/mystery/romance/ suspense.

 

– 5 Star Review NetGalley

A nail biting, suspense packed action crammed thriller that keeps you on edge

– 5 Star Review Amazon

About The Author

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today BestSelling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.

WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: https://authorjenniferchase.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JChaseNovelist

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferChase

Buy A Copy

Amazon → https://amzn.to/3nQSoAe

Let’s Be Friends

Collateral Damage by Frederick Lee Brooke

Collateral Damage Tour Badge

Collateral Damage by Frederick Lee Brooke was a fun book to read.  My favorite genre of book to read is mystery/suspense books and this one is one of those.  I was worried when I started the book that I might not know what is going on because it is the 3rd book in the “Annie Ogden Mystery” series but I was glad once I started reading that I really didn’t need to have read the other books in order to understand what is going on in this book.  There were some parts where it might have been nice to know who the characters were and some of the history with them but all in all it is easy enough to follow along if you haven’t read the first 2 books.  I loved the characters in this book and I can’t wait to read the first 2 books and than read any of the books that come out after this one.

collateral damage hi res cover

About the Book – About the Author – Prizes!!!

About the prizes: Who doesn’t love prizes? You could win one of two $50 Amazon gift cards or an autographed copy of Collateral Damage! Here’s what you need to do…

  1. Enter the Rafflecopter contest
  2. Leave a comment on my blog

That’s it! One random commenter during this tour will win the first gift card. Visit more blogs for more chances to win–the full list of participating bloggers can be found HERE. The other two prizes will be given out via Rafflecopter. You can find the contest entry form linked below or on the official Collateral Damage tour page via Novel Publicity. Good luck!

About the book: When Annie Ogden’s ex-boyfriend Michael Garcia reappears, she has to confront a lie dating back to her time in Iraq. Will she go back to hot, passionate Michael, who has developed a disturbing interest in meth, or stick with her pudgy PI partner and fiancé, Salvatore? The calculus changes when Michael is arrested for murder. When Salvatore refuses to help investigate, Annie is forced to try to find the killer herself. Meanwhile her sister’s creepy husband, Todd, is making more of an ass of himself than usual. Annie’s problems with three obsessive men suddenly pale in significance when she realizes the killer has set his sights on her. Having changed his mind about helping her, Salvatore finds himself in a desperate race against time, the only man capable of finding the killer before it’s too late. Get Collateral Damage through Amazon.

Frederick Lee Brooke author photo

About the author: Frederick Lee Brooke is the author of the widely-acclaimed Annie Ogden mystery series, which includes Doing Max Vinyl, Zombie Candy, and Collateral Damage. The books do not have to be read in order. Having lived in Switzerland for the past two decades, Brooke has taught English, run a business and learned French, German and Italian. You can find him online at http://www.FrederickLeeBrooke.com. Sign up for his newsletter and read all about his travels, recipes, and upcoming works! Connect with Fred on his website, Facebook, Twitter, or GoodReads.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

FTC3

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2013 Margaret Margaret

The Shadow Of Your Smile

Back Of The Book

A beautiful blanket of snow may cover the quaint town of Deep Haven each winter, but it can’t quite hide the wreckage of Noelle and Eli Hueston’s marriage.  After twenty-five years, they’re contemplating divorce . . . just as soon as their youngest son graduates from high school. But then an accident erases part of Noelle’s memory. Though her other injuries are minor, she doesn’t remember Eli, their children, or the tragedy that has ripped their family apart. What’s more, Noelle is shocked that her life has turned out nothing like she dreamed it would. As she tries to regain her memory and slowly steps into her role as a wife and mother, Eli helps her readjust to daily life with sometimes-hilarious, sometimes-heartwarming results. But can she fall in love again with a man she can’t remember?
Will their secrets destroy them . . . or has erasing the past given them a chance for a future? Read the story behind the story here.

My Review

I loved this book!!!!!!  This type of book isn’t usually what I like to read but I couldn’t put this book down.  I read it in 3 days and was sad when it was over.  I don’t think are words to describe how I feel about this book.  The characters were so easy for me to relate to and her writing captured me in from the very beginning.  I really didn’t think that I would like this book because like I said it isn’t my usual type of book but I am so glad that I read it and have found this author.  I can’t wait to read more of her books.  If you love romance books I am sure you will like this one.  I has a touch of romance along with a little bit of mystery thrown in.  I can’t say anything else but that I love this book and I know you will as well!

FTC-I received this book for free in return for my review.  The opinions expressed in this post are 100% mine.  I received no other compensation for this review.
Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2012 Margaret Margaret

Book Review-The Girl in the Box

Back Of Book

Caitlin Shaughnessy, a Canadian journalist, discovers that Inez, a traumatized young Mayan woman originally from Guatemala, has killed Caitlin’s psychoanalyst partner, Dr. Jerry Simpson. Simpson brought the girl, who may be autistic, back to Canada as an act of mercy and to attempt to treat her obvious trauma. Cailin desperately needs to find out why this terrible incident occurred so she can find the strength to forgive and move on with her life.

Inez, whose sense of wonder and innocence touches all who meet her, becomes a focal point for many of the Canadians who encounter her. As Caitlin struggles to uncover the truth about Inez’s relationship with Jerry, Inez struggles to break free of the projections of others. Each must confront her own anger and despair. The doctors in the north have an iciness that matches their surroundings, a kind of clinical armour that Caitlin must penetrate if she is to reach Inez.

The Girl in the Box is a psychological drama of the highest order and a gripping tale of intrigue and passion.

My Review

When I read the back of the book this book made me think of the movie “Nell” but once I started reading the book I realized that it was nothing like that movie.  I had the same idea of a feral children but other than that they are totally different.   The books starts when Jerry was in Guatemala and finds Inez.  The book then jumps to the present day when Caitlin finds out that Jerry was killed Inez.  It jumps back and forth quite a bit as Caitlin starts to write a book and looking into why Inez killed Jerry.  Lets just say that I never saw the book ending how it did.  Even now while I am writing this I am still in shock about how it ended.  The author does a great job keeping the person interested and making you feel like you are there with the characters.  I couldn’t help but like Inez and even feel bad for her.  I know that most people would find this book interesting if you like mysteries and/or thrillers.

  FTC- I received a complimentary copy of “The Girl In The Box” for this review and I received no other compensation.  The opinions expressed in the post are mine and only mine.

Digiprove sealCopyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Margaret Margaret