Series: The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles

#BookReview Hello Again by Brenda Novak @Brenda_Novak @StMartinsPress

#BookReview Hello Again by Brenda Novak @Brenda_Novak @StMartinsPress Title: Hello Again

Author: Brenda Novak

Series: The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles #2

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Oct. 3, 2017

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Romantic Suspense

Pages: 384

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: St. Martin's Press, NetGalley

Book Rating: 9/10

SHE CAN MAKE SENSE OF A COMPLEX CRIMINAL MIND.
Evelyn Talbot, a psychiatrist at a maximum-security prison in Alaska, studies some of the world’s worst serial killers. But she’s about to meet her most elusive patient at Hanover House yet: Dr. Lyman Bishop, AKA the Zombie Maker given his fondness for performing ice-pick lobotomies on his victims. A brilliant cancer researcher, Bishop is either the most cunning psychopath Evelyn has ever encountered–or he is wrongly convicted.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CRIMINAL CAN SEE INTO HER OWN?
When a new ice-pick fatality occurs, it seems Bishop really was wrongly convicted. Except…Evelyn has a personal connection to the victim and that suggests the killer may be someone from her own past: Jasper Moore, her high school boyfriend who tortured her and left her for dead when she was only sixteen. Jasper also murdered three of her friends–and was never caught. Is he trying to send a message with this copycat crime? The only thing Evelyn knows for sure is that if Jasper is on her trail, she might not be able to escape again . . .


Review:

Riveting, dark, and spine-chillingly eerie!

In this second book in the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles, we head back to Alaska and the isolated Hanover House where some of the most depraved serial killers are housed and studied, and danger seems to be lurking inside and out.

The writing is seamless and taut. The characterization is spot on with some of the usual gang back including the hardworking, determined Evelyn and the patient, sexy Amarok. And the skillfully-crafted, well-paced plot keeps you on the edge of your seat with twists, turns, violence, murder and a cliffhanger ending that will undoubtedly leave you eager for more.

Hello Again is a clever, gritty and incredibly captivating tale that not only has all the elements you look for in a romantic suspense novel but proves Novak is still one of the best in the genre.

If you haven’t already had a chance to read my review for the first novel in the series, Her Darkest Nightmare, be sure to check it out here:

 

 

This book is available now.

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

                                         

 

 

Thank you to NetGalley, especially St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Brenda Novak

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak's career as a bestselling author--she caught her day-care provider drugging her children with cough syrup to get them to sleep all day. That was when Brenda decided she needed to quit her job as a loan officer and help make a living from home.

"When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book," Brenda says. But she sold that book, and the rest is history. Her novels have made the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists and won many awards, including five Rita nominations, the Book Buyer's Best, the Book Seller's Best and the National Reader's Choice Award.

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are proud parents of five children--three girls and two boys. When she's not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising funds for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). So far, Brenda has raised $2.6 million. Please visit http://www.brendanovakforthecure.org to see how you can help.

#BookReview Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak @Brenda_Novak

#BookReview Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak @Brenda_Novak Title: Her Darkest Nightmare

Author: Brenda Novak

Series: The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles #1

Published by: St. Martin's Press on Aug. 30, 2016

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Romantic Suspense

Pages: 407

Format: eBook, ARC

Source: St. Martin's Press, NetGalley

Book Rating: 9/10

First in an electrifying new series from New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak

THE HUNT FOR A SERIAL KILLER
Evelyn Talbot knows that a psychopath can look perfectly normal. She was only sixteen when her own boyfriend Jasper imprisoned and tortured her—and left her for dead. Now an eminent psychiatrist who specializes in the criminal mind, Evelyn is the force behind Hanover House, a maximum-security facility located in a small Alaskan town. Her job puts her at odds with Sergeant Amarok, who is convinced that Hanover is a threat to his community…even as his attraction to beautiful Evelyn threatens to tear his world apart. 

BEGINS WITH AN ESCAPE FROM HER PAST
Then, just as the bitter Alaskan winter cuts both town and prison off from the outside world, the mutilated body of a local woman turns up. For Amarok, this is the final proof he needs: Hanover has to go. Evelyn, though, has reason to fear that the crime is a personal message to her—the first sign that the killer who haunts her dreams has found her again. . .and that the life she has so carefully rebuilt will never be the same…


Review:

Gripping, suspenseful, and highly absorbing!

This is a disturbingly creepy story about the makings and minds of serial killers and the abuse and corruption found in the system designed to incarcerate and rehabilitate them. It is definitely an intriguing roller coaster ride of lies, jealousy, secrets, corruption, emotional trauma, greed, and degradation. 

The writing is fluid, and smooth. The plot is well developed, intelligent, and interesting. The characters are multilayered, determined, and strong. And the storyline is a complex mix of murder, mayhem, sexual attraction, and romantic liaisons.

Overall, I think this was a really great, easy read. And I especially liked the “real-life” serial killer quotes at the beginning of each chapter which I felt was a nice touch and added an eery authenticity to the story as a whole.

This is the first book in, The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the next novel in the series, Hello Again, to find out if Evelyn’s own demons will finally be put to rest.

This story is due to be published on August 30, 2016.

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

Amazon UKAmazon USAmazon Canada

 

 

Thank you to NetGalley, especially St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with a copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Brenda Novak

It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak's career as a bestselling author--she caught her day-care provider drugging her children with cough syrup to get them to sleep all day. That was when Brenda decided she needed to quit her job as a loan officer and help make a living from home.

"When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book," Brenda says. But she sold that book, and the rest is history. Her novels have made the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists and won many awards, including five Rita nominations, the Book Buyer's Best, the Book Seller's Best and the National Reader's Choice Award.

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are proud parents of five children--three girls and two boys. When she's not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising funds for diabetes research (her youngest son has this disease). So far, Brenda has raised $2.6 million. Please visit http://www.brendanovakforthecure.org to see how you can help.