REVIEW: The Night She Disappeared by Kevin O'Brien

Title: The Night She Disappeared
Author: Kevin O’Brien
Narrator: Kyle Tait
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication Date: July 2021
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: SOME NIGHTMARES YOU CAN'T FORGET

From the depths of sleep, Seattle TV reporter Anna Malone awakens to her phone ringing. She rarely drinks, and this hangover is brutal. Why can't she shake the feeling that something terrible happened last night? And why can't she recall any of it?

BUT EVEN WORSE

What Anna does remember: an awkward restaurant meal with her married lover, Russ Knoll, and his unsuspecting wife, Courtney. Russ's phone call reveals that Courtney is missing, and as days go by with no trace, he comes under police scrutiny. Anna's in the spotlight too, thanks to a TV rival with a grudge. Anna's not proud of her affair, but she and Russ aren't bad people. They're certainly not the killing kind.

IS THE ONE YOU CAN'T REMEMBER . . .

Anna already suspected that Courtney--a successful, charming author--might have a darker side. Is she truly missing? Perhaps the sudden disturbances in Anna's life aren't accidental after all. But no scenario that Anna imagines can compare to the twisted game unfolding around her, one chilling piece at a time . . .

My Thoughts: If you are a reader that likes a lot of build-up, especially lots of twists and turns in the plot, then grab a copy of The Night She Disappeared by new to me author Kevin O’Brien. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, but I was all in to find out what happens.

The protagonist of this story is Anna Malone, a Seattle TV reporter who finds herself in the middle of the biggest news story in history because she is involved. The question is just how involved she is. Anna is having an affair with Russ Knoll, doctor and married man. Usually, this plot device stops me in my tracks. When the protagonist of a story is the one involved in adultery, I don’t like it. I’m supposed to be rooting for the hero/heroine of the story, but if they lack all moral fiber, it makes it very difficult.

Russ’s wife is author, Courtney Knoll, who is working with Anna on a news story about her. She’s deaf and has written a young adult series about deaf teenagers with superpowers, so her star is on the rise. The three meet at a restaurant for dinner where the lemon drop cocktails are flowing faster than they are poured and before you know it, Anna and Courtney are pretty drunk. If you haven’t guess already, Courtney is not a very nice person, drunk or sober, but she definitely has a cruel side when she’s drunk. After dinner, Anna accompanies them back to their place and Courtney becomes even more nasty and hateful…hmmm could she be on to you two cheating fornicators? Inquiring minds want to know!

Russ drives Anna home and puts her to bed, but calls her the next morning to tell her that Courtney is gone, some of her things are gone and has she been in touch with Anna? At this point in the story, I’m suspicious of all three of them! Is Courtney really missing or is she setting them up? Is Russ a killer and just trying to cover his tracks? Did Anna go off on Courtney because she’s tired of waiting for Russ to file for divorce?

And just when things can’t possibly get any worse, guess what? They get worse! There is a Nancy Grace type character, Sally, who appears to have a vendetta against Anna and uses her show to put Anna and Russ through the wringer. Before you know it, the show is using every speculation it can to convict and judge Anna and Russ.

Several additional supporting characters made the story more intriguing. Sally’s daughter, Taylor, can’t stand what her mother is doing to Anna, so she reaches out behind her mother’s back to warn her and tries to help Anna figure out what happened that night, since as we all know, Anna was drunk and can’t remember. Taylor is also deaf and knew Courtney too. Anna’s brother who ran away from home as a teenager comes back into Anna’s life but is a drug addict. These characters really added to the story, for me, because their motives and intentions are unclear. What do they have to gain by getting involved?

When everything finally comes into the light and all is revealed, I was completely shocked. I wasn’t expecting this outcome, but it worked really well and provided the much-needed closure without any loose ends hanging. The author did a fantastic job of creating characters that don’t have to be likable for the reader to be invested in what happens to them. He gives just enough of the story to keep the reader interested without giving away the ending too soon. This was an audiobook and Kyle Tait narrated this story very well. I would have preferred a female narrator to read the female parts, but Mr. Tait’s performance was terrific, especially his vocalization of Taylor’s lines as a deaf woman who never learned to speak.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a very well written story that delivered a great deal of suspense and intrigue. I never anticipated the conclusion and was quite surprised. I recommend this story to readers who enjoy a twisty novel of suspense and mystery and don’t mind that the characters don’t always have to be likable or redeemable.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Night She Disappeared from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: 11th Hour by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Title: 11th Hour (Women’s Murder Club #11)
Author: James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
Narrator: January LaVoy
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Publication Date: May 2012
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Your best friend

Lindsay Boxer is pregnant at last! But her work doesn't slow for a second. When millionaire Chaz Smith is mercilessly gunned down, she discovers that the murder weapon is linked to the deaths of four of San Francisco's most untouchable criminals. And it was taken from her own department's evidence locker. Anyone could be the killer--even her closest friends.

Or a vicious killer?

Lindsay is called next to the most bizarre crime scene she's ever seen: two bodiless heads elaborately displayed in the garden of a world-famous actor. Another head is unearthed in the garden, and Lindsay realizes that the ground could hide hundreds of victims.

You won't know until the 11th hour

A reporter launches a series of vicious articles about the cases and Lindsay's personal life is laid bare. But this time she has no one to turn to--especially not Joe. 11th Hour is the most shocking, most emotional, and most thrilling Women's Murder Club novel ever.

My Thoughts: It’s been over seven years since I last spent time with The Women’s Murder Club and I actually had a few reservations about whether I would be able to pick up where I left off. Happily, for me, this was not the case. One of the remarkable things about this series are the characters and how well developed they are. Within just a few minutes, I felt like I was back in the thick of it with Lindsay, Claire, Cindy and Yuki.

In this edition, Lindsay is pregnant, Cindy and Rich Conklin are engaged but don’t seem to be in a big hurry to make a dash to the altar and Yuki is dating Boxer’s supervisor! Claire was present but didn’t have a significant impact on the events of this story, much like the last one. I really hope she has a larger role in the next book.

Besides dealing with morning sickness, Lindsay is actively investigating the serial killings of several drug dealers and the discovery of several corpse heads in the garden of a famous actor who had been prosecuted and acquitted of his wife’s disappearance and likely murder.

In between all of this, she is also being hounded by a journalist who would rather report innuendo, speculation and conjecture instead of the facts, which puts her relationship with Joe in a precarious position.

I thought the cases were really interesting. Early on in the story, the serial killings of the drug dealers are thought to be the work of a rogue police officer and I was glad that Patterson and Paetro don’t bog the reader down in a lot of irrelevant details that only cloud the story. The revelation of this killer wasn’t a surprise, but the resulting follow-up provided me with many minutes of nail-biting intensity to see how it all played out.

Lindsay has to push hard and be very assertive in getting the green light to investigate the corpse heads. It was pretty gruesome and I figured that in her current condition, Lindsay would take a hard pass on this one. She doesn’t, of course, and I enjoyed the steps she and her team go through to first identify the corpses and then identify the culprit, which was a surprise. I enjoyed the use of forensic anthropology to recreate the faces and facial recognition software to search missing persons cases. It all sounds terribly simple and easy for those who are standing on the sidelines observing, but it’s quite a detailed process, which makes the story all the more interesting.

Patterson and Paetro have a skillful writing team rapport and I really enjoy their collaboration. This audio was narrated by January LaVoy, who does a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life. Her performance draws the reader in, giving a sense that the reader is part of the events occurring, rather than just reading the book. Several scenes carried a lot of emotion and Ms. LaVoy conveys it very well.

My Final Verdict: I really enjoyed spending time with these characters again and look forward to what they get into next. I recommend this entire series to fans of mysteries, thrillers and police procedurals who enjoy characters that demonstrate real world lives, problems, solutions, disappointments and successes.

REVIEW: The Lost Cats and Lonely-Hearts Club by Nic Tatano

Title: The Lost Cats and Lonely-Hearts Club
Author: Nic Tatano
Publisher: Harper Impulse
Publication Date: August 2016
Genre: Chick-Lit / Contemporary Romance / Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN

Description: Swapping Prada for purrs…

While covering a story, feisty network reporter Madison Shaw gets more than she bargained for when she rescues a box of orphaned kittens. Suddenly the glamazon of the Manhattan newsroom is doing two am feedings to keep these fur babies alive!

This is certainly a change of pace for the high maintenance workaholic she’s become and taking care of the kittens makes Madison realize how far off track she’s come—after all, she was a stray once too…

When a video of her caring for the kittens goes viral, she knows her image as a hardnosed reporter is shot to hell. What Madison doesn’t expect is the media circus that propels her and the kittens to stardom. And the domino effect that has on her, her career and her love life—especially when she meets sexy Officer Nick Marino…!

My Thoughts: I’m a softie when it comes to stories featuring puppies or kittens and the very talented Nic Tatano brings the plight of four orphaned kittens into the spotlight and the hearts of his fans with this adorable story of an edgy hard-nosed reporter whose life is turned around, upside-down and inside-out when she discovers the kittens while reporting on a story.

I really liked Madison Shaw and though her character apparently undergoes a life changing transformation by taking in these kittens, I didn’t think this was so out of character for her. She struck me as the type of person who believes in justice, fairness and doing the right thing. Rescuing four newborn kittens is a huge undertaking for anyone, especially as these babies need to be bottle fed until they are big enough to eat on their own. I liked the support network Madison has in her life and loved her friends as well. I could see myself being friends with these people.

I loved Nick and thought he was the perfect match for her. Their initial meet-cute was so adorable and heartwarming and their chemistry was sizzling immediately. I thoroughly enjoyed the backstory of the kittens and learning Madison was partial to the special needs one, given her background and upbringing was profound.

What this story also gives is a lot of insight into other areas besides animal rescue. Madison Shaw was an abandoned baby and grew up in foster care and because of the notoriety she gets due to the kittens, she is able to further the awareness of kids needing good permanent homes and families. She is also pursuing political corruption and her dogged determination to get to the truth and expose the cover-up was an interesting side story.

My Final Verdict: I’m a loyal fan of Nic Tatano and will happily read anything he writes, but if you have never read any of his wonderful works, I suggest you start here. This story has so many “aww” moments, of course, but there are also some emotional moments that required the reaching for the Kleenex and some surprises that I didn’t expect as well.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Lost Cats and Lonely-Hearts Club from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: New Teeth by Simon Rich

Title: New Teeth
Author: Simon Rich
Narrator: Fred Berman
Publisher: Hachette Audio, Little Brown & Co.
Publication Date: July 2021
Genre: General Fiction / Humor
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Called a “comedic Godsend” by Conan O’Brien and “the Stephen King of comedy writing” by John Mulaney, Simon Rich is back with New Teeth, his funniest and most personal collection yet.

Two murderous pirates find a child stowaway on board and attempt to balance pillaging with co-parenting. A woman raised by wolves prepares for her parents’ annual Thanksgiving visit. An aging mutant superhero is forced to learn humility when the mayor kicks him upstairs to a desk job. And in the hard-boiled caper “The Big Nap,” a weary two-year-old detective struggles to make sense of “a world gone mad.”

Equal parts silly and sincere, New Teeth is an ode to growing up, growing older, and what it means to make a family.

My Thoughts: New Teeth by new to me author, Simon Rich, is a wonderfully crafted collection of short stories that are equally heartwarming and riotously hilarious. Stories ranging from tips on parenting when dealing with monsters in your child’s closet, to a two-year-old private detective helping his baby sister client to solve a case, to murderous pirates finding a child stowaway on board trying to balance parenting and pirating, tagging along with Babe Ruth when he gets his big break with the Boston Red Sox and many more.

I liked some of the stories more than others, but overall, this was a fantastic read. The audio narration by Fred Berman was excellent. His voice talent is very apparent as he manages many accents and dialects in the different stories as well as his narration, infusing tone and emotion made for more enjoyment for the reader. Several of the stories had me laughing to tears while listening, with continued giggles after the story ended.

My Final Verdict: I had no idea what to expect from a Simon Rich book before I started, but I highly recommend this book to readers looking for hilarious and heartwarming stories. Simon Rich is definitely an author to keep an eye out for.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of New Teeth from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Twisted Twenty-Six by Janet Evanovich

Title: Twisted Twenty-Six (Stephanie Plum #26)
Author: Janet Evanovich
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Publication Date: November 2019
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Humor / Mystery
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Stephanie Plum's career has taken more wrong turns than a student driver on the Jersey Turnpike, and her love life is a hopeless tangle. In order to save someone dear to her, she'll have to straighten things out in Twisted Twenty-Six the latest, novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich.

Grandma Mazur is a widow...again. This time her marriage lasted a whole 45 minutes. The unlucky groom was one Jimmy Rosolli, local gangster, lothario (senior division) and heart attack waiting to happen...well, the waiting's over.

It's a sad day, but if she can't have Jimmy at least Grandma can have all the attention she wants as the dutiful widow. But some kinds of attention are not welcomed, particularly when Jimmy's former "business partners" are convinced that his widow is keeping the keys to their financial success for herself.

As someone who has spent an entire career finding bad guys, a set of missing keys should be no challenge for Stephanie Plum. Problem is, the facts are as twisted as a boardwalk pretzel with mustard.

My Thoughts: After finishing the last book in this series, I honestly thought I was done with the whole kit and kaboodle. I didn’t feel there was anything refreshing or original anymore, just the same old round and round with Stephanie, Lula, Grandma, Joe and Ranger. Stephanie still hates her job, still keeps her gun in the cookie jar, still dating Joe but lusting after Ranger and still can’t keep a vehicle longer than 5 minutes. She’s a hopeless mess and her life is a trainwreck on the best of days. Why do I keep coming back?

I keep coming back to this series because Stephanie is like family. You know, the cousin or sibling who is great fun to be around even though she’s a hot mess and disaster is usually three steps behind her. Maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment, but I know when I’m hanging with Stephanie and Lula, I’m going to be entertained at the very least. Perhaps, not quality entertainment, but there will be laughter and lots of food.

In this installment, we get to spend a lot of time with Grandma. She’s a widow again, after marrying Jimmy Rosolli, who drops dead not long after. Jimmy ran with a bad crowd…think The Sopranos and they are after a set of keys they believe Jimmy gave to Grandma when he died. Nobody will say what the keys look like, what they open or what using the keys will provide. Grandma says she doesn’t have any keys and a Molotov cocktail thrown through the front room window and an attempted kidnapping doesn’t change her mind either.

In between chasing down her FTA’s, Stephanie and Lula decide to look for the keys, which proves quite difficult as nobody seems to know what they look like or how many there are. And to make matters worse, several members of Jimmy’s family are less than pleased that Grandma stands to inherit Jimmy’s millions and are willing to fight dirty to get their hands on it.

I really enjoyed this adventure with Stephanie and the gang. I adore Grandma and, like Stephanie, don’t want to see anything bad happen to her. She’s such a hoot and the series wouldn’t be the same without her.

Lula brought a lot of comic relief to the story, as usual, and I laughed aloud many times at her shenanigans. I’m still wondering what Lula does for money because she’s not a licensed bond enforcement agent and she is always tagging along with Stephanie instead of filing in the bond office. How the heck is she making rent?!

I loved that there were many Ranger appearances and yes, he gives her another car. I love that he is there for her and yes, he has ulterior motives, but I know he cares for her. I honestly don’t know why Stephanie doesn’t go to work for Ranger since she loathes her job. I doubt she would have to worry about making her rent.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a lot of fun and though some of the stories have sunk like stones for me, this one has renewed my interest in Trenton, NJ and the quirky lives of its residents. I recommend the audio narrated by the very talented Lorelei King. She voices the characters splendidly, bringing their personalities to life.

REVIEW: Thirty Days to Thirty by Courtney Psak

Title: Thirty Days to Thirty
Author: Courtney Psak
Publisher: CAMP Publishing
Publication Date: September 2015
Genre: Chick-Lit / Contemporary Romance
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN

Description: What if you were on the cusp of marrying the guy of your dreams and reaching that career goal you set for yourself, only for all of it to be taken away in one fell swoop?

What if this all happened a month before you turned 30?

This is the story of Jill Stevens, who after moving back home, finds a list she made in high school of thirty things she wanted to accomplish before her thirtieth birthday.

With a month left and hardly anything crossed off her list, she teams up with old friends to accomplish as much as she can before the big 3-0. Along the way, she discovers her true self and realizes it’s not about the material successes in life but the journey.

My Thoughts: Thirty Days to Thirty by new to me author Courtney Psak was a lot of fun to read. I felt a strong connection to Jill as a woman who is at a major crossroads in her life with the big 3-0 looming and her realization that she hasn’t accomplished everything she thought she would. After losing her job, boyfriend and home all in the same day, Jill does what many people do. She moves back in with her parents.

And if that isn’t bad enough, she discovers a list she wrote in high school of thirty things she wants to achieve before she turns 30. Not a big deal, right? Her birthday is a month away and you can imagine how quickly the panic sets in. Some of the things on her list have already been completed. Finish college, check. Work at a law firm, check. However, some of the items on her list seem insurmountable. Get on TV; save a life; kiss a stranger…are you kidding me?! And let’s not even discuss what motivated Jill to include skydiving as one of those items.

What made this book so much fun for me is tagging along while Jill starts to sort out her life. Her best friend, Liz provides much needed moral support and comic relief. Additionally, Jill’s ex-boyfriend from high school, Chris, is also there. Jill hasn’t seen or spoken to him for ten years and I loved how easily they got along and wondered why Jill let him go in the first place. I laughed aloud many times at Jill’s attempts to complete some of the items, such as taking up yoga. Along the way, Jill comes to realize that it’s not the destination that’s important, but the journey.

I enjoyed meeting all of the characters and though her parents got on her nerves because, you know, they’re parents, seeing their relationship become stronger was wonderful.

The only issue readers may have with this book is the speed in which Jill and Chris get back together, profess their feelings and make a commitment. This entire book takes place within a period of one month so it may appear that Jill is totally on the rebound in her relationship with Chris. I had to suspend disbelief and just tell myself that when it’s right, it’s right and when you know, you know and hope for the best.

My Final Verdict: Overall, this was a fun story with characters that I was rooting for from the beginning. I recommend this book to readers who like their stories to have humor and fun mixed in with the romance and featuring characters that aren’t all that different from the rest of us, just trying to get through the hurdles life throws without falling flat on our faces.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Thirty Days to Thirty from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: The List by Carys Jones

Title: The List
Author: Carys Jones
Publisher: Orion
Publication Date: October 2020
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Five names on a list. The first two are dead. The third one is yours.

Beth Belmont runs every day, hard and fast on the trail near home. She knows every turn, every bump in the road. So, when she spots something out of place - a slip of white paper at the base of a tree - she's drawn to it.

On the paper are five names. The third is her own.

Beth can't shake off the unease the list brings. Why is she on it? And what ties her to the other four strangers?

Curiosity getting the better of her, Beth looks up the first two names, only to find that they're both dead.

Is she next?

Delving into the past of the two dead strangers, the truth Beth finds will lead her headlong into her darkest and most dangerous nightmares...

My Thoughts: Upon meeting Beth Belmont initially, the reader is given a strong impression that someone is targeting her and means to do her harm. While out jogging one morning, Beth finds a piece of paper with five names, her name is the third. She doesn’t know the other people or even recognize the names, so she begins to research the names and discovers the first two names on the list are dead under very suspicious circumstances.

What does this mean?
Is she next?
Who is the author of the list?
Why is she being targeted?

I had all manner of theories regarding the above questions, and I was completely wrong about all of it. This story has an excruciatingly slow build as the author takes the reader into the past, introducing us to a young girl named Ruby, who is institutionalized and is less than cooperative with her therapy. Trying to understand the relevance between Ruby and Beth was frustrating, but I when I finally connected the dots, I needed to know more. The author also adds passages from the point of view of the list’s author, which were even more convoluted and confusing. This unnamed character spends the majority of the book watching Beth, but does not reveal their identity, reasons or agenda until nearly the end. There were so many twists and turns in this story that I started to feel dizzy.

Beth, herself, is very complex and hard to relate to or get to know. She lives in a house with her boyfriend, but outside of jogging, appears to have no goals, hobbies or career aspirations. Her boyfriend encourages her to do more with her life and not waste her talent working at the cinema loading the movie reels. She suffers from nightmares on a regular basis but refuses to talk about it and does not appear to have any friends or close associates. She struck me as a very lonely and isolated character.

My Final Verdict: The audiobook was narrated by Charlotte Worthing, who did an admirable job voicing all of the different characters, which made following the timelines and knowing who was speaking easier for this reader. I may not have finished this book if I was reading the print or e-book edition.

What do you say about a book that completely builds up the story, leading the reader in one direction, but then does a complete 180 and goes somewhere the reader does not expect? I say give it a shot and prepare to be shocked and surprised at what these characters reveal about themselves, their actions, their lives and each other.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The List from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.