Publisher: Minotaur Books

#BookReview Cold Burn by A. J. Landau @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #AJLandau #ColdBurn #NationalParksThriller

#BookReview Cold Burn by A. J. Landau @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #AJLandau #ColdBurn #NationalParksThriller Title: Cold Burn

Author: A. J. Landau

Series: National Parks Thriller #2

Published by: Minotaur Books on Apr. 29, 2025

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 336

Format: Hardcover

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 8/10

Agent Michael Walker returns when multiple deaths at Glacier Bay National Park are just the first steps in a potential global disaster.

National Park Service investigator Michael Walker is battling smugglers stealing priceless artifacts when he’s dispatched to Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska, where, in the first stage of a potential global disaster, a team of scientists has gone missing.

Meanwhile, in Florida’s Everglades National Park, FBI special investigator Gina Delgado traces the murder of an environmental science intern back to another U.S. Geological Survey team’s ongoing experiments that are decimating the fragile ecosystem. That is before she’s dispatched to the scene of a sunken U.S. nuclear submarine, the entire crew of which has inexplicably been killed.

The connection between these disparate investigations lies in a deadly prehistoric organism, frozen for thousands of years in the ice until global warming brings it back to life in what could mean the death of all life on Earth. An organism that a rogue billionaire sees as the ultimate fuel source and a Russian strongman views as the ultimate weapon that can shift the global balance of power forever. Against that backdrop, Walker and Delgado find themselves desperately doing battle across multiple fronts against an ancient, unstoppable enemy.


Review:

Creative, menacing, and suspenseful!

Cold Burn is a fast-paced, addictive thriller that sees FBI ASAC Gina Delgado and National Park Service ISB agent Michael Walker working together once again when their cases collide in Alaska, and it quickly becomes apparent that something extremely secretive, sinister, and worth killing for is underway.

The writing is seamless and smooth. The characters are relentless, driven, and knowledgeable. And the plot is an eerie tale full of twists, turns, secrets, deduction, mayhem, experimentation, power, grandiose delusions, violence, and murder.

Overall, Cold Burn is an intricately woven, highly entertaining, fantastic addition to the National Parks Thriller series by Landau with its flawed characters, great pace, and consistent sense of urgency.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About A. J. Landau

A. J. LANDAU is the pseudonym for two authors, Jon Land, the award-winning, bestselling author and co-author of more than fifty books, and Jeff Ayers, reviewer, former-librarian, and author. Land lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and Jeff Ayers lives in Seattle, Washington.

#BookReview No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack @CEMcKenzie1 @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #NOWSTDATW #TheVacationMysteries #CatherineMack

#BookReview No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding by Catherine Mack @CEMcKenzie1 @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #NOWSTDATW #TheVacationMysteries #CatherineMack Title: No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding

Author: Catherine Mack

Series: The Vacation Mysteries #2

Published by: Minotaur Books on May 13, 2025

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

The second in a witty, USA Today bestselling series following author Eleanor Dash as she goes from wedding guest to murder mystery investigator at her best friend’s wedding on Catalina Island.

Attending your best friend’s wedding should be a piece of (wedding) cake, but not for Eleanor Dash, bestselling author of the Vacation Mysteries series. Because murder seems to follow her every time she goes on vacation and is definitely her uninvited plus-one to the special occasion.

Emma Wood, Eleanor’s best friend since childhood, is starring in the movie adaptation of When in Rome, Eleanor’s first novel. Emma is also marrying Fred Winters, a major movie star and Emma’s co-star, who just happens to be playing Connor Smith, Eleanor’s ex and leading man of the series.

Filming wraps and they invite the whole cast and crew to their wedding at nearby Catalina Island. There may be a storm headed their way—because of course there is—but nothing will stop their nuptials . . . that is until Emma receives a note that says “Someone is going to die at the wedding.”

Eleanor is a professional at this point, and she’ll do everything she can to uncover the murderer so true love can prevail . . . before it’s too late for her and the rest of the storm-trapped wedding party.


Review:

Mysterious, intriguing, and atmospheric!

No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding is a cosy, amusing tale that takes us back into the life of writer Eleanor Dash as while taking a break from the set of the movie adaptation of her book to attend the wedding of her best friend on Catalina Island, somehow annoyingly finds herself once again in the company of a murderer.

The writing is descriptive and light. The characters are sharp, creative, and quirky. And the plot is a well-paced, witty whodunit full of misdirection, clues, suspects, red herrings, solid deduction, and drama.

Overall, No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding is a fun, twisty, easy read by Mack that’s refreshing and highly entertaining.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following links.

          

 

 

Thank you to Minotaur – St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Catherine Mack

CATHERINE MACK (she/her) is the pseudonym for the USA Today and Globe & Mail bestselling author of over a dozen novels. Her books are approaching two million copies sold worldwide and have been translated into multiple languages including French, German, Portuguese, and Polish. Television rights to Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies and its forthcoming sequels sold in a major auction to Fox TV for development into a series, with Mack writing the pilot script. A dual Canadian and US citizen, she splits her time between Canada and various warmer locations in the US.

Photo Credit: Fany Ducharme

#BookReview Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano @ElleCosimano @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #FinlayDonovanDigsHerOwnGrave #FinlayDonovan #ElleCosimano

#BookReview Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano @ElleCosimano @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #FinlayDonovanDigsHerOwnGrave #FinlayDonovan #ElleCosimano Title: Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave

Author: Elle Cosimano

Series: Finlay Donovan #5

Published by: Minotaur Books on Mar. 4, 2025

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 320

Format: Hardcover

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 9/10

Finlay Donovan may have skeletons in her closet . . . but at least there’s not a body in her backyard.

Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime, Vero, have not always gotten along with Finlay’s elderly neighbor, Mrs. Haggerty, the community busybody and president of the neighborhood watch. But when a dead body is discovered in her backyard, Mrs. Haggerty needs their help. At first a suspect, Mrs. Haggerty is cleared by the police, but her house remains an active crime scene. She has nowhere to go . . . except Finlay’s house, right across the street.

Finlay and Vero have no interest in getting involved in another murder case—or sacrificing either of their bedrooms. After all, they’ve dealt with enough murders over the last four months to last a lifetime and they both would much rather share their beds with someone else.


Review:

Compelling, mysterious, and witty!

In this fifth instalment in the Finlay Donovan series, Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave, we head back to Virginia and into the lives of mystery writer Finlay Donovan and her sidekick/nanny Vero Ruiz as they find themselves once again entangled in a police investigation when her ex-husband is suddenly arrested for the murder of a man whose body is found buried in a neighbours backyard.

The writing is light and fun. The characters are anxious, creative, and spontaneous. And the plot is a captivating, amusing mix of outrageous mishaps, humorous hijinks, snappy dialogue, familial drama, intrigue, suspense, friendship, mayhem, amateur sleuthing, and tender moments.

Overall, Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave is an addictive, charming, entertaining tale by Cosimano that is another fabulous addition to this much-loved, enjoyable, highly successful, hilarious series.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following links.

          

 

 

Thank you to Minotaur – St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Elle Cosimano

ELLE COSIMANO is an award-winning author. Her YA debut, Nearly Gone, was an Edgar Award finalist and winner of the International Thriller Award. Her novel Holding Smoke was a finalist for the International Thriller Award and the Bram Stoker Award. Her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post and Time. Elle lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with her husband, two sons, and her dog. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is her adult debut.

Photo by Powell Woulfe Photography.

#BookReview Chain Reaction by James Byrne @JByrnemystery @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #JamesByrne #ChainReaction #DezLimerick #MinotaurInfluencers

#BookReview Chain Reaction by James Byrne @JByrnemystery @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #JamesByrne #ChainReaction #DezLimerick #MinotaurInfluencers Title: Chain Reaction

Author: James Byrne

Series: Dez Limerick #3

Published by: Minotaur Books on Jan. 28, 2025

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 400

Format: Hardcover

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 9/10

Dez Limerick, a man of many skills and a murky past, faces the impossible—a skilled, deadly opponent who anticipates his every move.

Desmond Aloysius Limerick (“Dez” to his friends and close personal enemies) is a man with a shadowy past, certain useful hard-won skills, and, if one digs deep enough, a reputation as a good man to have at your back. He was trained as a “gatekeeper”—he can open any door, keep it open as long as necessary, and control who does—and does not—go through. Now retired from his previous life, Dez still tries to keep his skills up to date.

Knocking around the country, picking up the occasional gig as a guitarist, Dez is contacted by a friend in urgent need of his musical skills. At his behest, Dez flies to the East Coast to a gig at the brand new massive complex, the Liberty Center. But he’s barely landed before he finds himself in the midst of a terrorist attack, a group has taken over the whole center and thousands of hostage lives are in danger. With the semi-willing help of a talented thief, Dez takes on the impossible task of outfighting and outwitting a literal army. But that’s just the beginning, as Dez learns he was actually lured there under false pretenses, by someone who knows more about Dez, his past and his skills than any living person should.


Review:

Thrilling, suspenseful, and twisty!

Chain Reaction is a tight, menacing tale that takes you back into the life of ex-mercenary Desmond Aloysius Limerick as he finds himself once again caught up in a world of terror when his invitation to perform a gig at the Liberty Center goes immediately sideways.

The writing is compelling and edgy. The characters are sly, secretive, and resourceful. And the plot is an intense, sinister tale filled with twists, turns, mayhem, coercion, politics, power, obsession, lies, secrets, drama, revenge, and murder.

Overall, Chain Reaction is an action-packed, intricate, riveting tale by Byrne, and as a huge fan of this unlikely hero who oozes sex appeal, danger, and charisma, all I can say is I WANT MORE!

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About James Byrne

JAMES BYRNE is the pseudonym for an author who has worked for more than twenty years as a journalist and in politics. A native of the Pacific Northwest, he lives in Portland, Oregon.

#BookReview Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor @SSTaylorBooks @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #AgonyHill #SarahStewartTaylor #FranklinWarrenSeries #MinotaurInfluencers

#BookReview Agony Hill by Sarah Stewart Taylor @SSTaylorBooks @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #AgonyHill #SarahStewartTaylor #FranklinWarrenSeries #MinotaurInfluencers Title: Agony Hill

Author: Sarah Stewart Taylor

Series: Franklin Warren #1

Published by: Minotaur Books on Aug. 6, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 320

Format: Hardcover

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Set in rural Vermont in the volatile 1960s, Agony Hill is the first novel in a new historical series full of vivid New England atmosphere and the deeply drawn characters that are Sarah Stewart Taylor’s trademark.

In the hot summer of 1965, Bostonian Franklin Warren arrives in Bethany, Vermont, to take a position as a detective with the state police. Warren’s new home is on the verge of monumental change; the interstates under construction will bring new people, new opportunities, and new problems to Vermont, and the Cold War and protests against the war in Vietnam have finally reached the dirt roads and rolling pastures of Bethany.

Warren has barely unpacked when he’s called up to a remote farm on Agony Hill. Former New Yorker and Back-to-the-Lander Hugh Weber seems to have set fire to his barn and himself, with the door barred from the inside, but things aren’t adding up for Warren. The people of Bethany—from Weber’s enigmatic wife to Warren’s neighbor, widow and amateur detective Alice Bellows — clearly have secrets they’d like to keep, but Warren can’t tell if the truth about Weber’s death is one of them. As he gets to know his new home and grapples with the tragedy that brought him there, Warren is drawn to the people and traditions of small town Vermont, even as he finds darkness amidst the beauty.


Review:

Astute, sinister, and immersive!

Agony Hill is an engrossing, gritty novel that takes us to Bethany, Vermont, in 1965, where newly hired state police detective Franklin Warren suddenly finds himself mixed up in a complex investigation involving the death of a local farmer that may be the result of suicide, arson, or just plain murder.

The prose is authentic and rich. The characters are flawed, intelligent, and tenacious. And the plot unfolds and unravels quickly into a compelling mix of family, community, intrigue, drama, secrets, mayhem, and murder.

Overall, Agony Hill is a suspenseful, absorbing, atmospheric tale by Taylor that is a thoroughly enjoyable read and a fantastic start to this new Franklin Warren series.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sarah Stewart Taylor

Sarah Stewart Taylor grew up on Long Island and was educated at Middlebury College and Trinity College, Dublin. She lives with her husband and three children on a farm in Vermont where they raise sheep and blueberries.

Sarah is the author of THE MOUNTAINS WILD, an atmospheric thriller about a Long Island homicide detective named Maggie D'Arcy who returns to Ireland twenty-three years after the unsolved disappearance of her beloved cousin Erin in the Wicklow Mountains. When a young woman disappears and new evidence from Erin’s case is found, Maggie will have to uncover the truth about the Irish man she's never stopped loving and, in order to help Irish police save the missing woman, the truth about who Erin was and what happened to her.

It will be published by Minotaur Books on June 23, 2020.

Sarah is also the author of the Sweeney St. George mystery series, about an art historian who studies funerary art, "the art of death," from Minotaur Books. The first book in the series, O’ Artful Death, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel.

Her non-fiction has been published in The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and many other publications.

Photograph courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

#BookReview Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack @CEMcKenzie1 @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #EveryTimeIGoOnVacationSomeoneDies #TheVacationMysteries #CatherineMack

#BookReview Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack @CEMcKenzie1 @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #EveryTimeIGoOnVacationSomeoneDies #TheVacationMysteries #CatherineMack Title: Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies

Author: Catherine Mack

Series: The Vacation Mysteries #1

Published by: Minotaur Books on Apr. 30, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Hardcover

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies . . . one trip to die for.

All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series―is that too much to ask?

Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life―the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can’t get out of her life―Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.

Contending with literary competitors, rabid fans, a stalker―and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly―theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the irresistible and hilarious series debut from Catherine Mack, introducing bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate the world in her books.


Review:

Atmospheric, witty, and highly entertaining!

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is a charming, captivating tale that transports you to Rome, Italy and into the life of Eleanor Dash, a successful author who, after being sent on a tour to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the publication of the first book in her bestselling series with an eclectic group of people that includes authors, fans, a stalker, and an ex, finds herself unexpectedly tied up in a murder investigation with a multitude of suspects when it quickly becomes apparent that someone in their group is determined to kill off the real-life persona of the main character from her books.

The writing style is humorous and light. The characters are sharp, quirky, and impulsive. And the plot, told using a mixture of narration and footnotes, is a pacey whodunit full of family, friendship, danger, mystique, oddball situations, hilarious mishaps, red herrings, amateur sleuthing, lies, secrets, deception, deduction, attraction, revelations, and new beginnings.

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the first book in The Vacation Mysteries series by Mack, and if you enjoy a charming mystery with idyllic settings, unique characters, and a touch of romance, then this novel is the perfect choice.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following links.

          

 

 

Thank you to Minotaur – St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Catherine Mack

CATHERINE MACK (she/her) is the pseudonym for the USA Today and Globe & Mail bestselling author of over a dozen novels. Her books are approaching two million copies sold worldwide and have been translated into multiple languages including French, German, Portuguese, and Polish. Television rights to Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies and its forthcoming sequels sold in a major auction to Fox TV for development into a series, with Mack writing the pilot script. A dual Canadian and US citizen, she splits her time between Canada and various warmer locations in the US.

Photo Credit: Fany Ducharme

#BookReview The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong @KelleyArmstrong @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #TheBoyWhoCriedBear #KelleyArmstrong #HavensRock #HavensRockNovels #MinotaurInfluencers #SMPInfluencers

#BookReview The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong @KelleyArmstrong @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #TheBoyWhoCriedBear #KelleyArmstrong #HavensRock #HavensRockNovels #MinotaurInfluencers #SMPInfluencers Title: The Boy Who Cried Bear

Author: Kelley Armstrong

Series: Haven's Rock #2

Published by: Minotaur Books on Feb. 20, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: Hardcover

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

In The Boy Who Cried Bear, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong keeps readers on the edge of their seats while detective Casey Duncan tries to locate the threat before it’s too late. . .

Haven’s Rock is a well-hidden town surrounded by forest. And it’s supposed to be, being that it’s a refuge for those who need to disappear. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton already feel at home in their new town, which reminds them of where they first met in Rockton. And while they know how to navigate the woods and its various dangers, other residents don’t. Which is why people aren’t allowed to wander off alone.

When Max, the town’s youngest resident—taught to track animals by Eric—fears a bear is stalking a hiking party, alarms are raised. Even stranger, the ten-year-old swears the bear had human eyes. Casey and Eric know the dangers a bear can present, so they’re taking it seriously. But odd occurrences are happening all around them, and when a dead body turns up, they’re not sure what they’re up against.


Review:

Gritty, suspenseful, and addictive!

The Boy Who Cried Bear is a twisty, unnerving tale that takes us back to Haven’s Rock and into this newly created refuge for people who need to hide. But after the first family moves in and the youngest boy suddenly goes missing shortly after reporting a bear with human features prowling the woods, no one feels safe, everyone is considered a suspect, and at least one person ends up dead.

The prose is sinister and tight. The characters are layered, troubled, and clever. And the plot is an intricate, action-packed tale full of secrets, surprises, community, suspects, deduction, hostility, desperation, manipulation, deception, violence, and murder.

Overall, The Boy Who Cried Bear is another ominous, atmospheric, unsettling addition to the Haven’s Rock series by Armstrong that ultimately left me captivated, surprised, disturbingly entertained, and undoubtedly confident that there’s a lot more danger still to come in this series.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or one of the following links.

        

 

 

Thank you to Minotaur Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

Photograph by Kathryn Hollinrake.

#BookReview Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano @ElleCosimano @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #FinlayDonovanRollsTheDice #FinlayDonovan #ElleCosimano

#BookReview Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice by Elle Cosimano @ElleCosimano @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #FinlayDonovanRollsTheDice #FinlayDonovan #ElleCosimano Title: Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice

Author: Elle Cosimano

Series: Finlay Donovan #4

Published by: Minotaur Books on Mar. 5, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 320

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 9/10

Finlay Donovan and her nanny/partner-in-crime Vero are in sore need of a girls’ weekend away. They plan a trip to Atlantic City, but odds are―seeing as it’s actually a cover story to negotiate a deal with a dangerous loan shark, save Vero’s childhood crush Javi, and hunt down a stolen car―it won’t be all fun and games. When Finlay’s ex-husband Steven and her mother insist on tagging along too, Finlay and Vero suddenly have a few too many meddlesome passengers along for the ride.

Within hours of arriving in their seedy casino hotel, it becomes clear their rescue mission is going to be a bust. Javi’s kidnapper, Marco, refuses to negotiate, demanding payment in full in exchange for Javi’s life. But that’s not all―he insists on knowing the whereabouts of his missing nephew, Ike, who mysteriously disappeared. Unable to confess what really happened to Ike, Finlay and Vero are forced to come up with a new plan: sleuth out the location of Javi and the Aston Martin, then steal them both back.

But when they sneak into the loan shark’s suite to search for clues, they find more than they bargained for―Marco’s already dead. They don’t have a clue who murdered him, only that they themselves have a very convincing motive. Then four members of the police department unexpectedly show up in town, also looking for Ike―and after Finlay’s night with hot cop Nick at the police academy, he’s a little too eager to keep her close to his side.

If Finlay can juggle a jealous ex-husband, two precocious kids, her mother’s marital issues, a decomposing loan shark, and find Vero’s missing boyfriend, she might get out of Atlantic City in one piece. But will she fold under the pressure and come clean about the things she’s done, or be forced to double down?


Review:

Quirky, clever, and exceptionally entertaining!

Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice is a vibrant, action-packed tale that takes us back into the lives of mystery writer Finlay Donovan and her nanny-turned-trusty sidekick Vero Ruiz as their plan to head to Atlantic City to negotiate with a ruthless loan shark, find a stolen car, and save the missing Javi goes a little sideways when Finlay’s mother, two kids, and ex-husband decide to tag along, bodies start piling up and need to be put on ice, and a whole slew of police officers and FBI agents show up uninvited.

The prose is dramatic and amusing. The characters are reckless, impulsive, and charming. And the plot is the perfect mix of witty banter, familial drama, humour, suspense, friendship, secrets, parenthood, deception, mayhem, dangerous situations, steamy moments, and sexy times.

For the past three years, the three previous novels in this series have topped my must-read list, and even though I didn’t think it was possible to love an Elle Cosimano book more than I already did, she proved me wrong. Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice is escapism at its best and is hands down my new favourite novel in this outrageously zany series I can’t seem to get enough of.

 

This book is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from the following links.

          

 

 

Thank you to Minotaur – St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Elle Cosimano

ELLE COSIMANO is an award-winning author. Her YA debut, Nearly Gone, was an Edgar Award finalist and winner of the International Thriller Award. Her novel Holding Smoke was a finalist for the International Thriller Award and the Bram Stoker Award. Her essays have appeared in The Huffington Post and Time. Elle lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with her husband, two sons, and her dog. Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is her adult debut.

Photo by Powell Woulfe Photography.

#BookReview Leave No Trace by A. J. Landau @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #AJLandau #LeaveNoTrace #NationalParksThriller

#BookReview Leave No Trace by A. J. Landau @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #MinotaurInfluencers #AJLandau #LeaveNoTrace #NationalParksThriller Title: Leave No Trace

Author: A. J. Landau

Series: National Parks Thriller #1

Published by: Minotaur Books on Feb. 27, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 352

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Minotaur Books

Book Rating: 8.5/10

In a daring, brutal act of terrorism, an explosion rocks and topples the Statue of Liberty. Special Agent Michael Walker of the National Park Service is awakened by his boss with that news and sent to New York as the agent-in-charge. Not long after he lands, he learns two things – one that Gina Delgado of the FBI has been placed in charge of the investigation as the lead of the Joint Terrorism Task Force and two, that threats of a second terrorism attack are already being called into the media. While barred from the meetings of the Joint Task Force for his lack of security clearance, Walker finds a young boy among the survivors with a critical piece of information – a video linking the attackers to the assault.

As a radical domestic terrorist group, led by a shadowy figure known only as Jebediah, threatens further attacks against America’s cultural symbols, powerful forces within the government are misleading the investigation to further their own radical agenda.


Review:

Propulsive, twisty, and intense!

Leave No Trace is a sinister, action-packed thrill ride featuring the tenacious FBI ASAC Gina Delgado and the steadfast National Park Service ISB agent Michael Walker as they join forces to hunt down a group of cold, calculating mercenaries who are driven by vengeance, have their own deadly agenda, and are intent on causing as much destruction and devastation as they possibly can.

The writing is tight and crisp. The characters are astute, tenacious, and persistent. And the plot, with its short, intense chapters, keeps you on the edge of your seat as it immerses you, page after page, into a world full of terrorism, politics, revenge, corruption, coercion, military operations, and domestic terrorist drama.

Overall, Leave No Trace is a meticulous, compelling, intricate mystery by this creative writing duo that kept me highly entertained from the very first page and left me more than a little eager to read what Walker and Delgado manage to get mixed up in next.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About A. J. Landau

A. J. LANDAU is the pseudonym for two authors, Jon Land, the award-winning, bestselling author and co-author of more than fifty books, and Jeff Ayers, reviewer, former-librarian, and author. Land lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and Jeff Ayers lives in Seattle, Washington.

#BookReview Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander @_JennyHollander @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #JennyHollander #EveryoneWhoCanForgiveMeIsDead #MinotaurInfluencers #SMPInfluencers

#BookReview Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny Hollander @_JennyHollander @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #JennyHollander #EveryoneWhoCanForgiveMeIsDead #MinotaurInfluencers #SMPInfluencers Title: Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead

Author: Jenny Hollander

Published by: Minotaur Books on Feb. 06, 2024

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 304

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: St. Martin's Press

Book Rating: 8/10

She has everything to live for—and everything to hide.

Nine years ago, with the world’s eyes on her, Charlie Colbert fled. The press and the police called Charlie a “witness” to the nightmarish events at her elite graduate school on Christmas Eve—events known to the public as “Scarlet Christmas”—though Charlie knows she was much more than that.

Now, Charlie has meticulously rebuilt her life: She’s the editor-in-chief of a major magazine, engaged to the golden child of the publishing industry, and hell-bent on never, ever letting her guard down again. But when a buzzy film made by one of Charlie’s former classmates threatens to shatter everything she’s worked for, Charlie realizes how much she’s changed in nine years. Now, she’s not going to let anything—not even the people she once loved most—get in her way.


Review:

Menacing, unpredictable, and compelling!

Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead is an intense, mysterious tale that transports you into the life of successful NYC magazine editor and a victim of what the press dubbed “Scarlet Christmas” Charlotte Colbert, as her life gets turned upside down when the surviving twin sister of another victim decides to make a movie to honour the ten-year reunion of the tragedy causing the past to collide with the present, memories to come flooding back, long-buried secrets to be unearthed, and what truly happened on that ill-fated night when six journalism graduate students had their lives changed forever to finally come to light.

The writing is intricate and tight. The characters are scarred, self-involved, and secretive. And the plot, using flashbacks and a back-and-forth, past/present style, intertwines and unravels effortlessly into an ominous tale of manipulation, deception, lies, drama, jealousy, secrets, revelations, obsession, misdirection, mayhem, and murder.

Overall, Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead is a captivating, sinister, promising debut by Hollander that kept me guessing from the very first page and left me chilled, surprised, and highly entertained.

 

This novel is available now.

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Thank you to Minotaur Books – St. Martin’s Press for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Jenny Hollander

JENNY HOLLANDER is the director of content strategy at Marie Claire, where she oversees the brand's daily coverage, as well as the #ReadithMC book club. Before moving to Marie Claire, she worked at Bustle. A graduate of the Columbia University School of Journalism, Jenny spent ten years in New York before moving back to her hometown of London. Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead is her first novel.