The Next Widow by C J Lyons

If you want a page turner, a book that will keep you guessing almost to the end this is it. Leah is a dedicated doctor, her husband Ian a computer geek and Emily their daughter a gifted child. Theirs is a happy home. When things go awry and Ian is found brutally and inexplicably murdered detectives are not aware as to where to start.


Luka Jericho the Detective in charge does not believe the wife is suspect but he is working alone on this as his team are very sure that she is at the bottom of it. Their suspicions arise because Leah is clinically composed, not emotional and does not burst into tears with people. Leah on the other hand knows that there is much more than this being a random killing or a home invasion and that she must be the one to protect the child Emily at whatever cost.


Fast paced, clues falling all around you - even the reader wonders whether the wife is the suspect here despite evidence to the contrary. It all seems to point to her and so many pointers are towards her only. It takes good detection skills to see the cleverness and trickery of a twisted mind who is behind the killings.


Characterization was very good because it showed that not everyone goes to pieces in a crisis. Some people can think things through in the most desperate of situations.


The cover was I felt completely at odds with the story.


Sent by Bookouture for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Golden Poppies by Laila Ibrahim

1894 and two families one white one black lead very different lives. Decades ago they were united in one household but marriage and domesticity have pushed them thousands of miles apart. The bonds of deep friendship, loyalty and love remain and that topic is one that was well enshrined throughout the story.


The other sad highlight is the racism that existed then and sadly more than a century later still exists today. Segregation was severe and the rules and laws existed to keep the black people of the country down and to make sure they stayed down. That more rebellions did not happen seems very strange because it was so obviously racist and mean and horrible.


The story is apart from highlighting the injustices of society then, was also about the intense loyalty and feelings that the two families had for each other despite the divide.
It was a solid emotional read for me.


Sent by Lake Union Publishing for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Spring Girls by Karen Katchur

Two murder mysteries one after the other is something I try to avoid. This just happened!


Each Spring a young woman's body is discovered near a pool of water. It is something that Detective Geena looks with dread because it has been happening so regularly. After many investigations and with her senior partner's retirement, she discovers that he has been hiding one fact. That there was one girl who survived the attack but who has selective amnesia and who cannot help at all with any clues.  The survivor however has a child and Geena realizes that the dates synchronize with her rape and that this must be the killer's own child. With clues in the form of DNA surfacing from the last killing and DNA from the little boy the circle is narrowing to find the identity of the killer.


Eliminating people one by one from the circle and trying to find a common link between such varying women was not easy and when the discovery comes it is a surprising one. It also comes with so much of cover up within the agency itself that it is surprising that any headway was made in the case. It costs our survivor much in the way of security, her job and the future for herself and her child. But at least the killings will stop.


The book was an emotional read with the killer on one side, the sole survivor who was balancing on a thread on the other and the detectives on the third side.


Sent by Thomas & Mercer for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Never Look Back by Mary Burton

Agent Melina Shepard is not without courage and sheer brass. A number of women have gone missing with no trace whatsoever. The pick up area is known and when a full search of missing women are done, it seems the number is quite high. No remains have been found either. Melina goes undercover alone without support to try to nab the Killer.


One chance encounter with the killer gives clues which no one can do. She is the only survivor. Along with an officer from Quantico both of them try to unravel the mystery of the missing women and uncover a story which reads stranger than fiction. And very close to home. Pieces of Melina's own past get uncovered as a result as the story unfolds and it is very much a story of Melina and her past as well as the gruesome killer's rampage. Finally it is not one killer but two that have to be uncovered.


Melina is our main character but Jerrod and others in turn play their part in this fast paced thriller. The build up was quick and the reader was always left wanting to know what the next stage was.
My first read of this author and I will be looking out for more in the future.


Sent by Montlake Romance for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Hunting Ground by Meghan Holloway

In hindsight one can see how a sociopath works. Carefully, clinically and soberly. No passionate spur of the moment decisions for him unless he is goaded by something beyond his control. This was a carefully thought out, planned kidnapping and murder and Evelyn did not have a clue that she was his victim, his ultimate goal in fact.


Moving to a small town to escape a very similar stalking situation which never got resolved (more on that later) Evelyn thinks that at last she has peace but from the word go, Jeff has his eyes on her. The Police Chief himself is a victim where his wife and daughter were abducted, never found. With a Native American population in the area Evelyn has arrived to handle artifacts check on authenticity, history and return them if possible to rightful owners. This is something she is passionate about and she is looking forward to working in this tiny town.


She did not envisage that a series of abductions and murders of girls would take place and all where she is the first person to discover their bodies. It is obviously she is a target and the Police Chief is sadly using her as bait to find out what has happened to the numerous women missing over a long period including his wife and daughter.


What follows is a cat and mouse suspenseful story where the killer is always one step ahead of law enforcement and where Evelyn eventually takes the law into her own hands, knowing fully well that she is finally responsible for her own life. That the law will come in too late for her.


Very well told, and a fabulous read.


Sent by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Polis Books.

The House on Boundary Street by Tea Cooper

Small country side girl wants to make it big in the city. This is a recurrent theme for many girls and boys as well. But this is 1920s and Sydney is  rife with many pitfalls for a young innocent girl. Coming to the house on Boundary Street and working as a maid seems perfectly respectable, but everyone knows that it is just one step away from servicing the many clients that step over the threshold of No. 54.


A chance encounter with Jack of her childhood days and the instant attraction that they feel for each other and slowly unraveling the underbelly of the sordid side of Sydney life with the discovery that Ted her brother is very much alive and not killed in a plane crash creates mixed feelings for Dolly.


A story of family, of love and of survival in a competitive world where girls like Dolly can be swallowed whole in a jiffy. This was a lovely read for me following the TV drama series of Miss Fisher. 1920s Melbourne.


Sent by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Escape Publishing. 

The Strange Adventures of H by Sarah Burton

From being a vicar's daughter to going to live with her Aunt Madge with a very comfortable existence and then to be on the streets and to end up in a bawdy house, albeit a more discreet and comfortable one was a huge journey for H.


The story was beautifully written and was like a daily account of H's life with its tribulations and sad nesses, the rape at the hands of her cousin, her loyalty to the end not to divulge to her Aunt what had happened even when things were very bleak and her loyalty not to claim relationship with her Aunt when it would have helped her all account to H's steadfastness and her character.


What H did was a career move to survive in the harsh world of London of the 17th century where women were treated as chattels and if you did not have your wits about you like H you were crushed and annihilated. H was shrewd and careful but she had heart and her story was really heart warming.


The history of London of the time is very well told and in the midst of the great plague which beset London is explained in great detail. Very good reading.


An excellent read from the historical fiction angle, as well as the social history angle of the times.


Sent by Netgalley for an unbiased review, courtesy of Legend Press.