Source: Grand Central Publishing

#BookReview Simply Lies by David Baldacci @davidbaldacci @GrandCentralPub #DavidBaldacci #SimplyLies #GCPInsider

#BookReview Simply Lies by David Baldacci @davidbaldacci @GrandCentralPub #DavidBaldacci #SimplyLies #GCPInsider Title: Simply Lies

Author: David Baldacci

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Apr. 18, 2023

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 432

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

A twisting new psychological thriller in which two women—one a former detective, the other a dangerous con artist—go head-to-head in an electrifying game of cat and mouse.

Mickey Gibson, single mother and former detective, leads a hectic life similar to that of many moms: juggling the demands of her two small children with the tasks of her job working remotely for ProEye, a global investigation company that hunts down wealthy tax and credit cheats.

When Mickey gets a call from a colleague named Arlene Robinson, she thinks nothing of Arlene’s unusual request for her to go inventory the vacant home of an arms dealer who cheated ProEye’s clients and fled. That is, until she arrives at the mansion to discover a dead body in a secret room—and that nothing is as it seems.

Not only does the arms dealer not exist but the murder victim turns out to be Harry Lancaster, a man with mob ties who used to be in Witness Protection. What’s more, no one named Arlene Robinson works at ProEye.

In the blink of an eye, Gibson has become a prime suspect in a murder investigation—and now her job is also on the line until she proves that she was set up. Before long, Gibson is locked in a battle of wits with a brilliant woman with no name, a hidden past, and unknown motives—whose end game is as mysterious as it is deadly.


Review:

Captivating, intelligent, and well-crafted!

Simply Lies is an elaborately plotted, suspenseful tale that takes you into the life of Mickey Gibson, a former police officer, now data analyst and single mother of two whose monotonous life is suddenly turned upside down when she finds herself embroiled in the investigation of a murdered man with a dark, devious, dangerous past when she is deceptively sent out to inventory the contents of a vacant estate.

The writing is sharp and tight. The characters are persistent, resourceful, and multilayered. And the plot, including all the subplots, seamlessly intertwine and unravel into a gripping tale full of twists, turns, surprises, revelations, manipulation, abuse, vengeance, mischief, mayhem, and murder.

Overall, Simply Lies is an exceptionally menacing, intricately woven, highly entertaining mystery that has a nice amount of suspense, good character development, and great pace. It’s currently a standalone novel by Baldacci, but something tells me this could quickly turn out to be another must-read series I need to add to my list.

 

This book is available now.

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

             

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About David Baldacci

David Baldacci is a global #1 bestselling author, and one of the world’s favorite storytellers. His books are published in over 45 languages and in more than 80 countries, with over 130 million worldwide sales. His works have been adapted for both feature film and television. David Baldacci is also the cofounder, along with his wife, of the Wish You Well Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting literacy efforts across America. Still a resident of his native Virginia, he invites you to visit him at DavidBaldacci.com and his foundation at WishYouWellFoundation.org.

Photograph by Allen Jones.

#BookReview I Will Find You by Harlan Coben @harlancoben @GrandCentralPub #IWillFindYou #HarlanCoben #GrandCentralPub #GCPInsider

#BookReview I Will Find You by Harlan Coben @harlancoben @GrandCentralPub #IWillFindYou #HarlanCoben #GrandCentralPub #GCPInsider Title: I Will Find You

Author: Harlan Coben

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Mar. 14, 2023

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 400

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 9/10

An innocent father serving life for the murder of his own son receives evidence that his child may still be alive, and must break out of prison to find out the truth in #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben’s latest breathtaking thriller.

David and Cheryl Burroughs were living the dream life when tragedy struck. Now, five years after that terrible night, Cheryl is remarried. And David is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison for the brutal murder of their son.

Then Cheryl’s sister, Rachel, arrives unexpectedly during visiting hours and drops a bombshell. She’s come with a photograph that a friend took on vacation at a theme park with a boy in the background who has a familiar, distinctive birthmark … and even though David and Rachel realize it can’t be, they both just know. It’s David’s son, Matthew, and he’s still alive.

David plans a harrowing escape from prison, determined to do what seems impossible–save his son, clear his own name, and discover the real story of what happened that devastating night.


Review:

Riveting, thrilling, and suspenseful!

I Will Find You is an unpredictable, menacing tale that takes you into the life of David Burroughs, a father incarcerated for the past five years for killing his three-year-old son Matthew, but when a visit from his former sister-in-law opens the door to the possibility his son might still be alive, David will do whatever it takes, even break out of prison, in order to try and find him.

The writing is sharp and tight. The characters are tormented, resourceful, and determined. And the plot is an intense, mysterious tale filled with twists, turns, mayhem, coercion, politics, power, obsession, lies, secrets, deception, and murder.

Overall, I Will Find You had everything I’ve come to expect in a Harlan Coben novel and more. It’s an intricate, gripping, exceptionally twisty thrill ride that, in my opinion, is a must-read for anyone who enjoys an edge-of-your-seat, action-packed thriller.

 

This book is available now.

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

                

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Harlan Coben

Harlan Coben is a #1 NewYorkTimes bestselling author and one of the world's leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty-five languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries, with seventy-five million books in print worldwide. His Myron Bolitar series has earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, and many of his books have been developed into Netflix series, including his adaptation of The Stranger, headlined by Richard Armitage, and The Woods. He lives in New Jersey.

Photo by Claudio Marinesco.

#BookReview The Queen: Her Life by Andrew Morton @andrewmortonuk @GrandCentralPub #TheQueenHerLife #AndrewMorton #GrandCentralPub

#BookReview The Queen: Her Life by Andrew Morton @andrewmortonuk @GrandCentralPub #TheQueenHerLife #AndrewMorton #GrandCentralPub Title: The Queen: Her Life

Author: Andrew Morton

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Nov. 15, 2022

Genres: Nonfiction

Pages: 448

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

#1 New York Times bestselling biographer Andrew Morton provides the definitive, most comprehensive account of Queen Elizabeth II’s legendary reign. 

Painfully shy, Elizabeth Windsor’s personality was well suited to her youthful ambition of living quietly in the country, raising a family, and caring for her dogs and horses. But when her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated, she became heir to the throne—embarking on a journey that would test her as a woman and queen.

Ascending to the throne at only 25, this self-effacing monarch navigated endless setbacks, family conflict, and occasional triumphs throughout her 70 years as the Queen of England. As her mettle was tested, she endeavored to keep the monarchy relevant culturally, socially, and politically, often in the face of resistance from inside the institution itself. And yet the greatest challenges she faced were often inside her own family, forever under intense scrutiny; from rumors about her husband’s infidelity, her sister’s marital breakdown, Princess Diana’s tragic death, to the recent departure of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Now in The Queen, renowned biographer Andrew Morton takes an in-depth look at Britain’s longest reigning monarch, exploring the influence Queen Elizabeth had on both Britain and the rest of the world for much of the last century. From leading a nation struggling to restore itself after the devastation of the second World War to navigating the divisive political landscape of the present day, Queen Elizabeth was a reluctant but resolute queen. This is the story of a woman of unflagging self-discipline who will long be remembered as mother and grandmother to Great Britain, and one of the greatest sovereigns of the modern era.


Review:

Detailed, informative, and compelling!

The Queen: Her Life is the honest, fascinating biography of Elizabeth Windsor, from her carefree childhood, blissful marriage, unexpected ascension to the throne in her mid-twenties, to her stoic, dependable seventy-year rule through wars, scandals, and challenges.

The writing is comprehensive and rich. The characters are loyal, dedicated, and hardworking. And the novel is an intriguing look into the life of an amazing woman who ultimately stood by her promise to dedicate her whole life to the service of her people.

Overall, The Queen: Her Life is a well-researched, insightful, nostalgic read by Morton that is ultimately a lovely, candid look into the life of a remarkable human being, the late Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch in British history, that you don’t need to be a royal admirer to truly appreciate or revere.

 

This book is available now.

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

                

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Andrew Morton

Andrew Morton studied history at the University of Sussex, England, with a focus on aristocracy and the 1930s. Morton has written biographies featuring the British Royal Family as well as celebrities, including Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie, and Madonna. His bestselling biography of Princess Diana, Diana: Her True Story, met with international acclaim as “the closest we will ever come to her autobiography.”

Photograph courtesy of GCP Website.

#BookReview The Perfect Assassin by James Patterson & Brian Sitts @JP_Books @GrandCentralPub #JamesPatterson #ThePerfectAssassin #DocSavage #GCPInsider

#BookReview The Perfect Assassin by James Patterson & Brian Sitts @JP_Books @GrandCentralPub #JamesPatterson #ThePerfectAssassin #DocSavage #GCPInsider Title: The Perfect Assassin

Author: James Patterson, Brian Sitts

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Nov. 15, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 336

Format: ARC, Paperback

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

Prof. Brandt Savage—grandson of the legendary action hero Doc Savage—is forced into a top-secret training program where he discovers his true calling…as the perfect assassin.
 
Dr. Brandt Savage is on sabbatical from the University of Chicago. Instead of doing solo fieldwork in anthropology, the gawky, bespectacled PhD finds himself enrolled in a school where he is the sole pupil. His professor, “Meed,” is demanding. She’s also his captor. 
 
Savage emerges from their intensive training sessions physically and mentally transformed, but with no idea why he’s been chosen, and how he’ll use his fearsome abilities. Then his first mission with Meed takes them back to her own training ground, where Savage learns how deeply entwined their two lives have been. To prevent a new class of killers from escaping this harsh place where their ancestors first fought to make a better world, they must pledge anew : Do right to all, and wrong to no one.     

Review:

Thrilling, fierce, and action-packed!

The Perfect Assassin is a gripping, suspenseful tale that takes you into the life of Dr. Brandt Savage, a professor of anthropology whose planned sabbatical takes an unusual turn when he is kidnapped off the street by the enigmatic Meed and is schooled in the fine art of assassination.

The prose is taut and intense. The characters are complex, intelligent, and resourceful. And the plot using flashbacks and multiple POVs is a riveting tale of twists, turns, espionage, passion, intrigue, tension, terrorism, violence, corruption, elite training, and murder.

Overall, The Perfect Assassin is another successful collaboration by Patterson that features lots of different locales, sexual chemistry, battles, action, and adventure. It keeps you invested, engaged, and on the edge of your seat from the very first page, and if you can suspend disbelief for a little while, you will certainly be satisfied and highly entertained.

 

This book is available now.

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

            

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About James Patterson

JAMES PATTERSON is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. His books have sold in excess of 385 million copies worldwide. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past two decades - the Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club, Detective Michael Bennett and Private novels - and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand- alone thrillers.

Photo courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

#BookReview Livid by Patricia Cornwell @1pcornwell @GrandCentralPub #PatriciaCornwell #Livid #KayScarpetta #GCPInsider

#BookReview Livid by Patricia Cornwell @1pcornwell @GrandCentralPub #PatriciaCornwell #Livid #KayScarpetta #GCPInsider Title: Livid

Author: Patricia Cornwell

Series: Kay Scarpetta #26

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Oct. 25, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 368

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

In this thrilling new installment of Patricia Cornwell’s #1 bestselling series, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta finds herself a reluctant star witness in a sensational televised murder trial causing chaos in Old Town Alexandria with the threat of violent protests.

Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta has just inherited one of the most notorious cases of her career. Two years ago, a former beauty queen’s body washed up on the shore of Wallops Island, Virginia. She was last seen on a boat with her fiancé, who has since been held in jail while awaiting trial.

Scarpetta must act as the expert witness for the case—an investigation previously botched by another forensic pathologist. After a grueling cross-examination by the prosecutor, Scarpetta leaves the court only to discover that the sister of the judge on her case has been found dead.

Scarpetta ultimately finds herself facing a powerful, invisible enemy who’s planning the unthinkable.


Review:

Intricate, menacing, and sophisticated!

In this twenty-sixth instalment in the Kay Scarpetta series, Livid, Cornwell has written an ominous thriller that sees Virginia’s Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta not only testifying in the April Tupelo volatile trial but also investigating the bizarre murder of CIA employee Rachael Stanwyck, sister of her close friend Judge Annie Chilton, that as it unfolds also seems strangely connected to a failed assassination attempt on the President, the brutal murder of a beloved local market owner and the suicide of a Tidewater medical examiner.

The writing is descriptive and brisk. The characters are intuitive, knowledgeable, and persistent. And the plot is a well-paced, cleverly plotted tale full of mischief, mayhem, coercion, corruption, criminal behaviours, dangerous endeavours, crime scene analysis, secrets, deduction, lies, terrorists, and murder.

Overall, Livid is another action-packed, intriguing, sinister tale by Cornwell that I am sure will be a solid, satisfying, entertaining read for any long-standing fans of the series.

 

This book is available now.

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

                

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Patricia Cornwell

In 1990, Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, while working at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. An auspicious debut, it went on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity Awards, as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventures—the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. Growing into an international phenomenon, the Scarpetta series won Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development. Today, Cornwell’s novels and iconic characters are known around the world. Beyond the Scarpetta series, Cornwell has written the definitive nonfiction account of Jack the Ripper’s identity, cookbooks, a children’s book, a biography of Ruth Graham, and three other fictional series based on the characters Win Garano, Andy Brazil, and Captain Callie Chase. In recent years, Cornwell has been researching space-age technologies at NASA facilities, the U.S. Space Force, and Secret Service. She’s visited Scotland Yard and Interpol, always keeping up with what’s current. Cornwell was born in Miami. She grew up in Montreat, North Carolina, and now lives and works in Boston.

Photo Credit: Patrick Ecclesine

#BookReview The Last Hours in Paris by Ruth Druart @grandcentralpub #RuthDruart #TheLastHoursinParis #GCPInsider

#BookReview The Last Hours in Paris by Ruth Druart @grandcentralpub #RuthDruart #TheLastHoursinParis #GCPInsider Title: The Last Hours in Paris

Author: Ruth Druart

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Jul. 19, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 448

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 10/10

“Words are power. They can bring you down, lift you up, make your heart soar, make you fall in love. Or make you hate.”

Paris 1944. Elise Chevalier knows what it is to love . . . and to hate. Her fiancé, a young French soldier, was killed by the German army at the Maginot Line. Living amongst the enemy, Elise must keep her rage buried deep within.

Sebastian Kleinhaus no longer recognizes himself. Forced to join the Third Reich and wear a uniform he despises, he longs for a way out. For someone, anyone, to be his salvation.

Brittany 1963. Reaching for the suitcase under her mother’s bed, eighteen-year-old Josephine Chevalier uncovers a secret that shakes her to the core. Determined to find the truth, she travels to Paris where she learns the story of a forbidden love as a city fought for its freedom. Of the last stolen hours before the first light of liberation. And of a betrayal so deep that it would irrevocably change the course of two young lives life forever.


Review:

Charged, poignant, and absorbing!

The Last Hours in Paris is a passionate, moving tale set in France during 1944, as well as 1963 that takes you into the lives of Elise Chevalier and Sebastian Kleinhaus, two people from different backgrounds whose forbidden love will risk their safety, freedom, and ultimately change their lives forever.

The prose is eloquent and polished. The characters are courageous, driven, and resilient. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine seamlessly into an alluring tale of life, loss, family, tragedy, desperation, secrets, danger, friendship, parenthood, separation, survival, war, and love.

Overall, The Last Hours in Paris is a rich, evocative, heart-wrenching novel by Druart that grabs you from the very first page and is sure to be a big hit with historical fiction lovers everywhere. It is undoubtedly one of my favourite novels of the year, and just like her previous novel, While Paris Slept, I highly recommend it.

This novel is available now.

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

            

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Ruth Druart

Ruth Druart grew up on the Isle of Wight, leaving at eighteen to study psychology. In 1993 she moved to Paris, the city that inspired her to write While Paris Slept. There she pursued a career in international education and raised three sons with her French husband. She recently left her teaching position, so she can write full time while running her writing group in Paris.

Photo courtesy of Author's Goodreads Page.

#BookReview Would I Lie To You? by Aliya Ali-Afzal @AAAiswriting @GrandCentralPub #AliyaAliAfzal #WouldIIieToYou #GCPInsider

#BookReview Would I Lie To You? by Aliya Ali-Afzal @AAAiswriting @GrandCentralPub #AliyaAliAfzal #WouldIIieToYou #GCPInsider Title: Would I Lie to You?

Author: Aliya Ali-Afzal

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Feb. 2, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 480

Format: Paperback

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8/10

When money and lies come between Faiza and her husband, Faiza will do anything to fix it, even if it means taking risks that could ruin their lives forever–if she’s caught.

At the school gates, Faiza fits in. It took a few years, but now the snobbish white mothers who mistook her for the nanny treat her as one of their own. She’s learned to crack their subtle codes, speak their language of fashion and vacations and haircuts. You’d never guess, seeing her at the trendy kids’ parties and the leisurely coffee mornings, that her childhood was spent being bullied and being ashamed of her poor Pakistani immigrant parents. When her husband Tom loses his job in finance, he stays calm. Something will come along, and in the meantime, they can live off their savings. But Faiza starts to unravel. Creating the perfect life and raising the perfect family comes at a cost – and the money Tom put aside has gone. Faiza will have to tell him she spent it all.  

Unless she doesn’t…

It only takes a second to lie to Tom. Now Faiza has mere weeks to find $100,000. If anyone can do it, Faiza can.  She’s had to fight for what she has, and she’ll fight to keep it. But as the clock ticks down and Faiza desperately tries to put things right, she has to ask herself: how much more should she sacrifice to live someone else’s idea of the dream life?


Review:

Simmering, tight, and intriguing!

Would I Lie to You? is an intense, ominous, domestic drama that takes you into the life of Faiza Saunders, a mother of three who has secretly blown through her family’s emergency fund making sure that she and her family fit in and look like they belong in their upper-class Wimbledon neighbourhood but when Faiza’s husband Tom suddenly loses his job Faiza’s life spirals more and more out of control as she decides to do whatever it takes to keep her spending and their financial ruin a secret.

The writing is brisk and tight. The characters are secretive, troubled, and deceptive. And the plot is an intricate, immersive tale full of lies, deception, drama, jealousy, betrayal, competition, revelations, racism, manipulation, mayhem, mental illness, and bad decisions.

Overall, Would I Lie to You? is a complex, suspenseful, promising debut by Ali-Afzal that I found a tad too long but was nevertheless a fast-paced page-turner that kept me engaged from start to finish.

 

This book is available now.

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

            

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Aliya Ali-Afzal

Aliya Ali-Afzal lives in London and is studying for an MA in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her writing has been longlisted for The Bath Novel Award, The Mslexia Novel Competition, The Mo Prize Hachette UK, and The Primadonna Prize. Aliya has a degree in Russian and German from the University of London. She has always lived in London, since moving there from Pakistan as a young child. Aliya worked as a head-hunter and then retrained as an Executive MBA career coach.

Photo by Kimberely Archer.

#BookReview First Blood by Angela Marsons @WriteAngie @GrandCentralPub #AngelaMarsons #FirstBlood #DIKimStoneSeries #GCPInsider

#BookReview First Blood by Angela Marsons @WriteAngie @GrandCentralPub #AngelaMarsons #FirstBlood #DIKimStoneSeries #GCPInsider Title: First Blood

Author: Angela Marsons

Series: DI Kim Stone #0

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Aug. 23, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Police Procedural

Pages: 352

Format: Paperback

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 10/10

In the darkness of a cold December morning, Detective Kim Stone steps through the doors of Halesowen Police Station. She’s about to meet her team for the first time. The victim of her next case is about to meet his killer…

When the body of a young man is found beheaded and staked to the ground in a secluded area of the Clent Hills, Kim and her new squad rush to the crime scene.

Searching the victim’s home, Kim discovers a little girl’s bedroom and a hidden laptop. Why is his sister relieved to hear he’s dead – and where is the rest of his family?

As Kim begins to unearth the dark secrets at the heart of the case, D.C. Stacey Wood finds a disturbing resemblance to the recent murder of Lester Jackson. But that’s not all Stacey finds …

She’s convinced there is a link between the victims and a women’s shelter run by Marianne Forbes, Lester’s niece. A child of the care system herself, Kim knows all too well what it means to be vulnerable. Could Marianne be the key to cracking this case?

With the killer about to strike again, Kim is in deep water with a rookie squad. Inexperienced Stacey is showing signs of brilliance but struggling to hold her nerve and, while D.S. Bryant is reliable and calm, D.S. Dawson is a liability. With his home life in pieces, his volatile behaviour is already fracturing her fragile new team.

Can Kim bring Dawson in line and pull her crew together in time to catch the killer before another life is taken? This time, one of her own could be in terrible danger…


Review:

Chilling, suspenseful, and addictive!

First Blood is a clever, captivating mystery that takes us back to the very beginning and gives us a glimpse into how this dynamic investigative team of Stone, Bryant, Dawson, and Wood worked together to solve their very first challenging case involving a serial killer on a rampage to exact their own form of justice on the predators who prey on innocent children.

The writing is bold and intense. The characters are meticulous, persistent, and impulsive. And the plot is a gripping, sinister whodunit full of twists, turns, lies, deception, revelations, obsession, depravity, abuse, violence, and murder.

The DI Kim Stone series is one of my all-time favourite series, and it was brilliant to be able to see how it all began. First Blood is an intricate, riveting, absorbing police procedural by an author, Angela Marsons, who creates characters I can’t get enough of and juicy, complex stories that always suck me in and leave me shocked, surprised, highly entertained, and extremely satisfied.

 

This book is available now.

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

         

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Angela Marsons

Angela Marsons is the USA Today bestselling author of the Detective Kim Stone series, and her books have sold more than four million copies and have been translated into twenty-seven languages. She lives in the Black Country, in the West Midlands of England, with her partner and their two Golden Retrievers. She first discovered her love of writing at junior school when actual lessons came second to watching other people and quietly making up her own stories about them. Her report card invariably read “Angela would do well if she minded her own business as well as she minds other people’s.” After writing women’s fiction, Angela turned to crime — fictionally speaking, of course — and developed a character that refused to go away.

#BookReview Overkill by Sandra Brown @sandrabrown_NYT @GrandCentralPub #SandraBrown #Overkill #GrandCentralPub #GCPInsider

#BookReview Overkill by Sandra Brown @sandrabrown_NYT @GrandCentralPub #SandraBrown #Overkill #GrandCentralPub #GCPInsider Title: Overkill

Author: Sandra Brown

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Aug. 16, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller, Romantic Suspense

Pages: 416

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 9/10

#1 New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown delivers a riveting thriller in which a conflict of conscience for a former football star and an ambitious state prosecutor swiftly intensifies into a fight for their lives.
 
Former Super Bowl MVP quarterback Zach Bridger hasn’t seen his ex-wife, Rebecca Pratt, for some time—not since their volatile marriage imploded—so he’s shocked to receive a life-altering call about her. Rebecca has been placed on life support after a violent assault, and he—despite their divorce—has medical power-of-attorney. Zach is asked to make an impossible choice: keep her on life support or take her off of it. Buckling under the weight of the responsibility and the glare of public scrutiny, Zach ultimately walks away, letting Rebecca’s parents have the final say.
 
Four years later, Rebecca’s attacker, Eban—the scion of a wealthy family in Atlanta—gets an early release from prison. The ludicrous miscarriage of justice reeks of favoritism, and Kate Lennon, a brilliant state prosecutor, is determined to put him back behind bars. Rebecca’s parents have kept her alive all these years, but if her condition were to change—if she were to die—Eban could be retried on a new charge: murder.
 
It isn’t lost on Zach that in order for Eban to be charged with Rebecca’s murder, Zach must actually be the one to kill her. He rejects Kate’s legal standpoint but can’t resist their ill-timed attraction to each other. Eban, having realized the jeopardy he’s in, plots to make certain that neither Zach nor Kate lives to see the death of Rebecca—and the end of his freedom.


Review:

Tight, ominous, and action-packed!

Overkill is a suspenseful, twisty tale that features the handsome, troubled former NFL quarterback, Jack Bridger who, after learning that the narcissistic predator who left his ex-wife in a vegetative state after a night of dangerous sex play has been released from prison after only four years due to good behaviour, joins together with the feisty state prosecutor Kate Lennon to do whatever it takes, even finally take Rebecca off life support, to put her attacker behind bars for good.

The writing is brisk and intense. The characters are persistent, driven, and multilayered. And the plot is an eerie, riveting tale full of twists, turns, violence, desire, attraction, deception, danger, romance, and murder.

Overall, Overkill is a menacing, alluring, edgy tale by Brown that has all the elements I’ve come to know and love in her romantic suspense novels, including a fierce heroine, a sexy hero, and a fast-paced, highly entertaining storyline that I can happily say I devoured in one sitting.

This book is available now.

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

                

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sandra Brown

Sandra Brown is the author of sixty-nine New York Times bestsellers, including the #1 Seeing Red. There are over eighty million copies of her books in print worldwide, and her work has been translated into thirty-four languages. She lives in Texas.

 

Photograph courtesy of grandcentralpublishing.com.

#BookReview The Omega Factor by Steve Berry @GrandCentralPub #SteveBerry #TheOmegaFactor #GrandCentralPub #GCPInsider

#BookReview The Omega Factor by Steve Berry @GrandCentralPub #SteveBerry #TheOmegaFactor #GrandCentralPub #GCPInsider Title: The Omega Factor

Author: Steve Berry

Published by: Grand Central Publishing on Jun. 7, 2022

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 464

Format: Hardcover

Source: Grand Central Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

The Ghent Altarpiece is the most violated work of art in the world.  Thirteen times it has been vandalized, dismantled, or stolen. 

Why?  What secrets does it hold? 
 
Enter UNESCO investigator, Nicholas Lee, who works for the United Nations’ Cultural Liaison and Investigative Office (CLIO).  Nick’s job is to protect the world’s cultural artifacts—from countless lesser-known objects to national treasures. 

When Nick travels to Belgium for a visit with a woman from his past, he unwittingly stumbles on the trail of the twelfth panel for the Ghent Altarpiece, stolen in 1934 under cover of night and never seen since.  Soon Nick is plunged into a bitter conflict, one that has been simmering for nearly two thousand years.  On one side is the Maidens of Saint-Michael, les Vautours, Vultures, a secret order of nuns and the guardians of a great truth.  Pitted against them is the Vatican, which has wanted for centuries to both find and possess what the nuns guard.  Because of Nick the maidens have finally been exposed, their secret placed in dire jeopardy—a vulnerability that the Vatican swiftly moves to exploit utilizing an ambitious cardinal and a corrupt archbishop, both with agendas of their own.  

From the tranquil canals of Ghent, to the towering bastions of Carcassonne, and finally into an ancient abbey high in the French Pyrenees, Nick Lee must confront a modern-day religious crusade intent on eliminating a shocking truth from humanity’s past.  Success or failure—life and death—all turn on the Omega Factor.
 


Review:

Thought-provoking, creative, and suspenseful!

In this intriguing new standalone novel, The Omega Factor, Berry introduces us to the resourceful Nick Lee, a UNESCO investigator who, after heading to Belgium to meet up with his ex-fiance, art restorer and catholic nun Kelsey Deal, becomes swept up in the centuries-old conflict and mystery surrounding one of the world’s most important works of art from the early fifteenth century, the Ghent Altarpiece by Hubert & Jan van Eyck.

The writing is descriptive and rich. The characters are inquisitive, driven, and fearless. And the plot is an intricate tale that will have you contemplating the significance and importance of historical artefacts, Christian history, the dealings and scandals of the catholic church over the years, and the possible location of the final resting place of the Virgin Mary and the ashes of Joan of Arc.

Overall, The Omega Factor is a unique, mysterious, action-packed thrill ride that grabbed me from the very start and did an excellent job of blending historical facts with compelling fiction.

 

This book is available now.

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

              

 

 

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Steve Berry

Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of sixteen Cotton Malone novels, five stand-alone thrillers, and several works of short fiction. He has 25 million books in print, translated into over 40 languages. With his wife, Elizabeth, he is the founder of History Matters, an organization dedicated to historical preservation. He serves as an emeritus member of the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board and was a founding member of International Thriller Writers, formerly serving as its co‑president.

%d bloggers like this: