Books #28

So we went camping over the weekend and I FORGOT MY KINDLE AT HOME. How does that even happen? It’s one of the first things I always pack for trips! I was really bummed. So I had a few days break from reading. (Boo.)

Here are the latest reads:

1 ) Every Last Lie by Mary Kubica

This was a really interesting book. Clara has a 4 year old daughter and a new baby, just 4 days old, when her husband is killed in a car accident. Her daughter was in the car, too, but ok. Clara is told it was an accident–Nick was driving too fast. But then her daughter starts having night terrors and bad dreams about a “bad man in a black car chasing” them.

The book is told in alternating chapters of current day with Clara dealing with the grief, disbelief and then suspicion and then chapters told from her husband’s point of view,  the months leading up to Nick’s death. This one really did have me guessing until the very end.

It was suspenseful and there was a twist, it was well-written but could have used a little bit of editing down in places…other than that, great read!

2 ) The Echo Killing (Harper McClain #1) by Christi Daugherty

Excellent book! I’m excited to read book #2!

Harper is a 20-something crime reporter who works nights and is kind of an adrenaline junkie. She lives in Savannah, Georgia. When she was 12 years old, she discovered the brutally murdered body of her mother–a crime that was never solved. She was definitely traumatized as a kid, but she’s a strong female character that you like a lot. She’s not the typical cliched “alcoholic female protagonist that has problems”.

I liked that she had such a good relationship with the local cops. It seemed that they had all kind of taken her under their wing when she was a kid. There was a love interest in the story that definitely had some palpable chemistry (I rarely feel like “love” stories in mystery books have chemistry but this was done well).

15 years ago her mother was murdered and now, there’s a new murder that is remarkably similar to that one. Harper is writing the story for the newspaper and sees the similarities, and of course goes off the books to do her own investigation.

It was a riveting, fast, fun read and I really loved all the characters!

3 ) The Good Goodbye by Carla Buckley

Rory and Arden are cousins, only a few months apart. They grew up more like sisters and look a lot alike. Of course, there are family secrets and issues that make this story a powerful read.

Rory’s dad and Arden’s mom are co-owners and chefs of their own restaurant, which we find out is failing. As a result, Rory and Arden do not get to go to the colleges of their choice (Harvard and art school in California). Instead they end up going to a local university and share a dorm together. Conflicts arise between Rory and Arden and between Vince and Natalie.

The story is told from the point of view of Natalie, Rory and Arden, and you don’t find out what really happen to cause the horrific fire that landed both girls in the hospital unconscious. The ending was an interesting twist. Very compelling and suspenseful read.

4 ) The Last Child (Johnny Merrimon #1) by John Hart

I almost gave up on this book a few times. It was pretty slow to start. The first half of the book felt like it dragged, but all of a sudden the story took off and it never slowed down.

Johnny is 13 years old and his twin sister, Alyssa went missing a year ago. His father was supposed to pick Alyssa up from the library and forgot and that tore the family apart. Now Johnny’s mom is a drunk, depressed woman in an abusive relationship with a local rich guy who is keeping her on pills. Johnny spends every waking moment he has searching for his sister. He knows she’s still alive.

Detective Hunt has also been searching for Alyssa for the last year and his obsession with finding her broke up his own marriage.

This is a story about faith and loyalty, lies, family, obsession and crime. If you can stick with it, the last half of the book is stellar!

5 ) The One by John Marrs

What a creepy book! I don’t want to give too much away because it was a really unique book. But the short description: it takes place in England and there is a groundbreaking dating service that pairs couples based on their DNA matches. It’s 99% accurate. The problem? It broke up a lot of marriages when people “for fun” checked their DNA matches and found out they had another match somewhere else in the world.

This book tells a few different stories of couples that get matched. The ending was such a shocker, that I don’t want to spoil it. But let me tell you, this book was creative, unique, SUPER creepy and a great read!

6 ) Savage Season (Hap and Leonard #1) by Joe R. Landsdale

How did I not know about this author? He’s such a good writer! The book immediately hooks you because the characters jump off the page and feel so real and the writing style is beautiful. It’s classified as “mystery noir” and it definitely has that feel to it.

Hap was a hippy, anti-war guy who went to Leavenworth because he refused to go to Vietnam. Leonard is a black Vietnam Vet who also happens to be gay and is Hap’s best friend. Trudy is Hap’s ex-wife who apparently has a hold on every man she’s ever slept with. They all pair up to find some money that someone else stole and hid.

It’s a fast-paced read with lots of quirky humor, interesting character development and ahead-of-its-time progressive attitude about race, gays, and war.

Happy Reading!

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