ARC REVIEW: Strangers – by C.L. Taylor @AvonBooksUK

Title: Strangers
Author: C.L. Taylor
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
First published: April 2nd 2020
Publisher: Avon Books UK
Finished reading: March 6th 2020
Pages: 400

“She’d learned through bitter experience that when you sit back and wait for what life throws at you, you mostly get covered in shit.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Avon Books UK in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I’ve been eagerly anticipating C.L. Taylor‘s newest title Strangers ever since I first heard about it, as I’m most definitely a fan of her writing style. Although I still have to read Sleep (yes, I’m still miffed my pre-ordered paperback copy never arrived last year), I think it’s safe to say that I now have a new favorite C.L. Taylor title. What a read! I’m glad I cleared my schedule before diving into this story, because there was just no way on earth I was going to stop reading before I knew how it would all end. What an absolutely masterful and simply brilliantly constructed psychological thriller!

I’m going to keep this review on the short side to avoid spoilers, but I absolutely loved the sheer complexity of this story. In Strangers, you get not one, not two, but THREE storylines for the price of one. Yes, you read that right, three completely different storylines with three different POVs and characters to follow… And you will only understand how the three will fit together in the story until after the final plot twist bombs. Each different storyline is developed thoroughly and realistically, giving us insight in the lives of Alice, Ursula and Gareth as well as truly making them come alive. Each character has their own set of issues, secrets and background, turning Strangers into a thoroughly complex, rich and utterly satisfying psychological thriller.

There are a lot of elements in play in Strangers, including infidelity, stalking, kleptomania, Alzheimer, abuse, violence and bullying. That seems like a lot to juggle, but each element is incorporated into the plot in such way that helps enrich the plot without feeling chaotic. They give the different characters extra dept and without doubt take the character development as well as the plot to the next level… The characters themselves might not be 100% likeable if you look critically, but you will find it quite easy to fully immerse yourself in their stories and root for them along the way. And as each character has their own issues, you will find your mind in overdrive as you try and juggle all those storylines and suspicions about motive and who could be behind it.

The writing is 200% engaging and combined with a fast pace and a fantastically constructed plot you will find yourself reaching that final page in no time at all. Especially as the suspense is starting to build up and things are getting more intense… Plot twists, secrets and POV switches are used to both keep you on your toes and send you off the wrong track, and I don’t think it will be easy to guess the full truth about how the three storylines come together before you actually read about it happening. What a way to end a story! If you are a psychological thriller fan, you definitely need to add Strangers to your must-read list.

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BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Deep Dark Night – by Steph Broadribb #RandomThingsTours #TeamLori @Orendabooks @annecater

Hello and welcome to my stop of the Deep Dark Night Random Things Tours blog tour! A huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. I’ve been a big Lori Anderson fan ever since my first meeting two years ago and of course I’ve been looking forward to discover what dangers Lori has to overcome next… And this fourth book has once again confirmed me I’m 200% #TeamLori. Want to know why? Please join me while I share my thoughts!

Title: Deep Dark Night
(Lori Anderson #4)
Author: Steph Broadribb
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: January 5th 2020
Publisher: Orenda Books
Finished reading: March 13th 2020
Pages: 320

“There’s no moon, no stars – nothing and no one to bear witness to the events of this deep dark night.

No one, except me.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I first met Lori Anderson two years ago when I messed up and accidently read the second book first… Lori, in all her kickass bounty-hunter glory, charmed me almost instantly and I’ve been on #TeamLori ever since. I’m still not sure why it took me two years to finally catch up with the rest of the series, but trust me, I’m still kicking myself for not doing so before. Although I guess I did have the advantage of being able to binge-read all four books in a short period of time without the long wait in between to find out what Lori has to endure next. Boy boy it has been an explosive and intense few weeks with Lori! I’m still catching my breath as I try to recover from the adrenaline overdose…

So, book number four. Or Deep Dark Night, which is another more than fitting title if you ask me. Before I continue, I have to say that while you can technically read this book as a stand-alone, you won’t be doing yourself a favor for two reasons: (1) you might not get the dynamics between Lori, JT and the other characters if you don’t read the previous books, and (2) you are depriving yourself of some very thrilling and exhilarating reading hours. I strongly suggest just taking the time to read all four books in order to get the full Lori experience! Got that? Perfect, let’s continue with Deep Dark Night. The first thing that stands out is that this book has a completely different feel than the previous three books. Lori and JT still take up the spotlight and are omnipresent, but there is less moving about, less running and the danger feels different too. This doesn’t mean that there isn’t plently of action and violence though, but Deep Dark Night feels more like a locked-room thriller with a mafia angle rather than the typical bounty-hunter action thriller we’ve become used to. Coincidentally, as I have a weak spot for any locked-room plot in a story, you won’t see me complaining.

This time around, we are not in Florida either, but instead Lori’s fourth adventure is set in Chicago. Once again Lori finds herself entangled with mafia business, and this time only because her hands were tied after what happened in book three. I won’t go into details to avoid spoilers, but let’s just say that Monroe is one slippery bastard I wouldn’t under any circumstances trust even with something insignificant… So having Lori basically putting her (and JT’s) life in his hands made me feel tense from the very beginning. This feeling of dread didn’t leave me for one second either. I found myself to be on the edge of my seat the whole time, biting my nails as I wondered how on earth Lori and JT were going to be able to find themselves a way out of the situation… Deep Dark Night left me more breathless than an intense workout!

While I loved the style of the previous books, I also loved the new direction and the locked-room thriller feel of this story. The majority of Deep Dark Night takes place within a safe room on the 63rd story of the building where an important poker game takes place. Ten people are inside the room when everything escalates and things turn nasty for real… Imagine And Then There Were None, but mafia style, and you get some sort of an idea what might be going on soon after things are starting to go south. The plot development as well as the plot twists themselves are brilliantly handled and show us a perfect image of what Chicago might look like after a blackout. Action-packed, exhilarating and seriously disturbing: Deep Dark Night will go very dark indeed.

The story is told from both Lori and JT’s POV, which is great as they are not together all the time and it allows the story to tell us what happens from different angles as well as introduce even more suspense. Both characters have become very dear to me, so my heart stopped quite a few times with all the danger and imminent death around the corner every other chapter. The other characters in play, and especially those in the safe room during the poker game, have each been developed satisfactorily and feel well rounded; they each added their own touch to the story. Likewise, Cabressa makes for an interesting mafia character and you gotta hate Monroe all over again for the tricks he is pulling. It was great to see Lori and JT in action together again though, and that ending make me crave the next book instantly as I NEED to know what happens next…

As you might have guessed already, I’m a huge fan of this series and I’m still 200% #TeamLori. If you love a good action-packed and lighting fast thriller read, you should definitely go meet my favorite bounty-hunter Lori Anderson. Trust me, you won’t regret it!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steph Broadribb was born in Birmingham and grew up in Buckinghamshire.
Most of her working life has been spent between the UK and USA. As her alterego
– Crime Thriller Girl – she indulges in her love of all things crime fiction
by blogging at crimethrillergirl.com, where she interviews authors and reviews
the latest releases. She is also a member of the crime-themed girl band The
Splice Girls. Steph is an alumni of the MA Creative Writing (Crime Fiction) at
City University London, and she trained as a bounty hunter in California, which
inspired her Lori Anderson thrilliers, She lives in Buckinghamshire surrounded
by horses, cows and chickens. Her debut thriller, Deep Down Dead, was
shortlisted for the Dead Good Reader Awards in two categories, and hit number
one on the UK and AU kindle charts. My Little Eye, her first novel under her
pseudonym, Stephanie Marland was published by Trapeze Books in April 2018.

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ARC REVIEW: She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be – by J.D. Barker

Title: She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be
Author: J.D. Barker
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror
First published: March 31st 2020
Publisher: Hampton Creek Press
Finished reading: March 21st 2020
Pages: 774

“I can’t imagine living in anything but a fairy tale. The real world can be an abhorrent place.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Hampton Creek Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I’ve been a huge fan of J.D. Barker’s writing ever since I first started reading the 4MK Thriller books… I’ve been looking forward to read more of his work ever since I finished the trilogy, and as soon as I first read about She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be I was completely under its spell. The title, the cover, the blurb, the promise of another masterfully written story… I don’t tend to read a lot of books over 600 pages as they can be a painful investment of time if you don’t end up connecting to the story, but I made an exception for J.D. Barker as I already knew his writing would most likely be right up my alley. And boy, did I make the right decision!

Some stories just need more pages, and manage to keep you fully invested along the way. She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be is one of those stories. Somehow, even though this newest J.D. Barker book has almost 800 pages, I never felt bored and I never felt like the story dragged or could have been told in less words. No, Jack and Stella’s story needed to be this elaborate, as their history spans decades and it is necessary to go slow and thorough to go deep and fully understand their characters. I’m aware that She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be might not be for everyone, but don’t let the daunting page count dissuade you if you love an intricate and well developed thriller with a supernatural/horror twist! Trust me, you won’t regret spending time with this story.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot to avoid ruining surprises and plot twists, so I will keep my rambles short this time around. What I can say is that I loved the structure of this story. It’s not easy to take on this big of a project and tell a story that not only spans decades, but also has a big cast of primary and secondary characters… Especially without the result being a very hard book to keep up with, let alone enjoy. But J.D. Barker seems to have found the right formula. She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be is divided into multiple parts, focusing on the life of main character Jack Thatch as we see him growing up over the years. His POV is used to introduce the many characters important to the plot, and he helps put them into perspective. Of course he is not the only POV, as we also have the mysterious subject ‘D’ to deal with for example… I personally liked the little observation chapters featuring this character, as the mystery around both his identity, his supernatural abilities and his role in the plot added that extra level of suspense.

As you might have expected from a book this big, the character development is both extremely detailed and very well handled. The characters are both flawed and realistic, and I personally loved the dynamics between Jack and Stella as well as the other more important characters in this book. Whether you like the characters or not, you will find yourself to be invested in what happens to them either way… And the mystery around the supernatural and the secrets of the past only enhance these feelings. She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be is not a full-blown urban fantasy read, but instead mostly a mix of an action and detective thriller, a dark contemporary and a story with a horror and supernatural feel. It’s a hard book to put inside a box, and I personally love a story that manages to defy genre boundaries and provide us with a new and unique story cocktail. This story has so many different elements to treasure and enjoy, and it felt like a true treasure hunt to keep turning those pages and keep reading those chapters. You never knew what direction the story would take next, and I personally love a story that keeps me on my toes.

She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be is as unique as its long title, and the right person will treasure this story as much as I did. I had a fantastic time reading every single chapter, and I never felt like the story was overlong or should have gone in a different direction. Big is in this case most definitely better! And this book has only reconfirmed to me J.D. Barker belongs on my list of favorite authors.

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Magical Readathon: O.W.L.s 2020 TBR #OWLsReadathon2020

It’s Magical Readathon time again! I loved participating in these Harry Potter inspired readathons in previous years, so even though I’m taking things easy with all things blogging this year I just couldn’t resist signing up again. Especially as this readathon might be a distraction from these dark and strange times we are in right now… The Magical Readathons are all hosted by the wonderful Book Roast and you can find out more about this year’s O.W.L. edition in her video below.

The O.W.L.s start on the 1st of April and end on the 30th of April, which means a full month of reading to get those prompts and Hogwarts subjects finished. This is the second year of career choices; last year I managed to complete the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s for the Magizoologist career, and this year I will be going for the Culinary Sorcerer career. I thought it would be a fitting one as I love cooking and baking in the first place!

Hogwarts subjects needed for the Culinary Sorcery career during the O.W.L.s: Arithmancy, Charms, Herbology & Potions.

As I’m taking things easier this year, I will mostly focus on getting those four subjects done first, but I have made a tentative TBR for all twelve subjects below just in case…

CULINARY SORCERER TBR

• Arithmancy: magical qualities of number 2: balance/opposites – read something outside of your favorite genre WHERE SHE WENT BY GAYLE FORMAN
• Charms: lumos maxima: white cover VOX BY CHRISTINA DALCHER
• Herbology: mimbulus mimbletonia: title starts with an M THE MURDER OF ROGER ACKROYD BY AGATHA CHRISTIE
• Potions: shrinking solution: book under 150 pages THE SIGN OF FOUR (SHERLOCK HOLMES) BY ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE

OTHER HOGWARTS SUBJECTS TBR

• Ancient Runes: heart rune: heart on cover or in title MEET CUTE BY HELENA HUNTING
• Astronomy: night classes: read majority of book when it’s dark outside THE OUTSIDER BY STEPHEN KING
• Care Of Magical Creatures: hippogriffs: creature with a beak on the cover WOVEN IN MOONLIGHT BY ISABEL IBAÑEZ
• Defense Against The Dark Arts: grindylows: book set at the sea/coast THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS BY M.L. STEDMAN

• Divination: third eye: assign numbers to your TBR and use random number generator to pick your read THE CURIOUS CHARMS OF ARTHUR PEPPER BY PHAEDRA PATRICK
• History Of Magic: witch hunts: book featuring witches/wizards RUTHLESS GODS BY EMILY A. DUNCAN
• Muggle Studies: book from perspective of a muggle (contemporary) THE APARTMENT BY K.L. SLATER
• Transfiguration: animagus lecture: book/series that includes shapeshifting LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS (SOOKIE STACKHOUSE) BY CHARLAINE HARRIS

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Are you joining the challenge? Have you read any of the titles on my TBR? Any books I should make a priority?

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WWW Wednesdays #261 – March 25th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I’m currently reading Josie Quinn book number eight Find Her Alive by Lisa Regan… I have a weak spot for this series and I just couldn’t resist getting a copy of the newest on Netgalley. I’m also starting And So It Begins by Rachel Abbott in preparation for the blog tour of the sequel next month.

WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

1. I Am Dust by Louise Beech (5/5 stars) BLOG TOUR REVIEW 18/04
Look out for my review during my stop of the blog tour!

2. She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be by J.D. Barker (4,5/5 stars) REVIEW 28/03
She Has A Broken Thing Where Her Heart Should Be is as unique as its long title, and the right person will treasure this story as much as I did. I had a fantastic time reading every single chapter, and I never felt like the story was overlong or should have gone in a different direction. Big is in this case most definitely better! And this book has only reconfirmed to me J.D. Barker belongs on my list of favorite authors.

3. Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren (4,5/5 stars) NO REVIEW/REREAD
I definitely had a great time revisiting an old childhood favorite of mine. I loved Pippi when I was little and I must have read the book at least a dozen times back then… I remember loving the TV show too, and even dressing up as Pippi during carnaval once. She is a wonderful character most children will be able to connect to instantly!

4. Harry Potter Y Las Reliquias De La Muerte by J.K. Rowling (4,5/5 stars) NO REVIEW/REREAD
I finally completed my Spanish reread of the Harry Potter series! It had been too long since I last read the seventh Harry Potter book and I had forgotten about so many details… I always love revisiting this world and this has been no exception!

5. The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (5/5 stars) REVIEW 04/04
I still can’t believe it took me this long to read this story! I love bookish books and this is without doubt a new favorite. The writing, the bookish elements, the characters, the plot, even the romance… I loved it all.

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

I’m picking up the next Hercule Poirot The Murder Of Roger Ackroyd as soon as I finish my current reads… I also need to read the upcoming ARC The Lost Orphan (also known as The Foundling) by Stacey Halls soon. And I don’t think I will be able to resist John Marrs’ newest title What Lies Between Us either even though I have other ARCs I should probably read first haha. I’m also hoping to read Manhunters by Steve Murphy and Javier F. Peña soon, as I have a weird interest in the war on drugs and I loved the Netflix series.

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ARC REVIEW: The Missing Sister – by Elle Marr

Title: The Missing Sister
Author: Elle Marr
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: April 1st 2020
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Finished reading: March 15th 2020
Pages: 300

“Grief is a bizarre beast that can make us see and do things that don’t make sense. Memory adjusts and omits with the slightest nudge, let alone under circumstances like mine.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

There was just something about the blurb of The Missing Sister that intrigued me back when I first saw it on Netgalley last year, and I couldn’t resist getting a copy… I mean, a foreign setting, a possible serial killer AND a missing twin sister? How could I possibly say no to that?! I have been looking forward to read this story and while it failed to blow me away personally, it is by no means a bad read and without doubt still a solid debut. I’ll try to explain below why certain aspects of The Missing Sister failed to hit the mark for me…

Before I start, I have to repeat first that this debut is by no means a bad read and the 3 star rating reflects my personal experience with this story rather than the quality on its own. There were things I loved about The Missing Sister, but I couldn’t ignore the things that didn’t work for me either as these rambles wouldn’t be an honest reflection of my thoughts otherwise. With that out of the way, let’s discuss The Missing Sister: I’m going to start with the things that did work for me. I personally loved the foreign setting in Paris, and especially how big of a role the capital city of France plays in the story itself. Oh no, Paris isn’t just a random setting chosen as a background for another typical thriller read; the city and especially the Catacombs play a crucial and all important role in the plot as a whole and the story wouldn’t be the same without its history. I loved learning a bit more about the Catacombs along the way as well, and it definitely shows that the author knows the city intimately.

Another thing that stood out for me was the premise of this debut, which can’t exactly be put into just one genre and has that unique touch that makes it stand out from the rest. We have the twins and the contemporary angle, especially with the flashbacks back in San Diego… We have the mystery around Angela’s death or disappearance in Paris… We have the hint at a possible serial killer on the loose… And we have Paris, its Catacombs and its history. All of this is combined using a mix of Angela’s twin sister Shayna’s POV and a series of email exchanges between the twins… Slowly learning more about their past as well as the present.

We now arrive at what ended up not working for me personally in The Missing Sister… My main issue was probably the fact that I was unable to fully connect to the story or the characters, making it harder to stay focused and get fully absorbed in the story. Especially the parts about the connection and past between the twins slowed down the story considerably for me, even though it was one of the things that spoke to me when I first read the blurb. Likewise, I wasn’t a fan of the characters nor of the way how they behaved at all, making it hard to connect to them or care about what happened to them… And talking about the plot, I also found that certain aspects and plot twists were just a bit too farfetched to my liking, while other twists (including the big one involving who was behind it all) were just too easy to guess. I wasn’t too sure what to make of the ending either… Overall it wasn’t exactly my cup of tea as I struggled to connect to the story and found certain parts too farfetched, but I did love the foreign setting and premise and I’m sure the right person will love this debut.

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COVER REVEAL: The Life We Almost Had – by Amelia Henley #coverreveal @MsAmeliaHenley @HQstories

Hello and welcome to this impromptu cover reveal party!! The wonderful Meggy at Chocolate’n’Waffles contacted me last night with the question if I wanted to help spread the cover reveal love for Louise Jensen‘s first venture into the romance genre under the name Amelia Henley… And how could I say no to two most lovely ladies?! I’ve been a huge fan of Louise Jensen‘s psychological thrillers ever since I read the first one and you simply cannot go wrong with her writing… So even though she has taken on a completely different genre and a new penname to match, I have no doubt that the result is another wonderful story. So what is this romance debut called? The title is The Life We Almost Had, and I will share the blurb next to further peak your interest:

This is not a typical love story, but it’s our love story.

 

Anna wasn’t looking for love when Adam swept her off her feet but there was no denying their connection, and she believed they would be together forever.

 

Years later, cracks have appeared in their relationship. Anna is questioning whether their love can really be eternal when a cruel twist of fate delivers a crushing blow, and Anna and Adam are completely lost to one another. Now, Anna needs Adam more than ever, but the way back to him has life-changing consequences.

Is a second chance at first love really worth the sacrifice? Anna needs to decide and time is running out…

 

A beautiful and emotional love story that asks, how far would you go for a second chance at first love? Perfect for fans of The Man Who Didn’t Call and Miss You.

 

But what about the cover? Are you curious yet how it will look like? I know I am! Are you ready?

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Almost there!

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What a lovely lovely cover! The font, the color combination, the contrast of the neutral background and color pops, the little details… Just wonderful. ❤

The Life We Almost Had will be hitting the stores on July 23rd 2020; make sure to mark the date in your calendar and add it to your wishlist if you enjoy the genre! And if you want to make sure you will be receiving your copy as soon as it’s published, I’ll leave the pre-order link for easy access. ❤

PRE-ORDER HERE

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BLOG TOUR REVIEW: Mexico Street – by Simone Buchholz #RandomThingsTours @Orendabooks @annecater

Hello and welcome to my stop of the Mexico Street Random Things Tours blog tour! A huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. I’ve been meaning to try this series for a while now and the blog tour was a perfect excuse to catch up… I’ve grown to love Simone Buchholz‘ writing style after reading the previous two books, and Mexico Street might just be a new favorite! Want to know why? Please join me while I share my thoughts.

Title: Mexico Street
(Chas Riley #8)
Author: Simone Buchholz
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: September 10th 2018
Publisher: Orenda Books
Finished reading: March 8th 2020
Pages: 276
(Originally published in German: ‘Mexikoring’)

“We’re like a window that life has kept jumping through in recent years, and with every jump we’ve gone flying through space like shards of glass, but, because the shards know where they belong, they piece themselves back together, bit by bit, every time.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I know that I’ve only recently started reading this series, but the Chas Riley books have been on my radar for quite some time now. I’m not sure why it took me this long to finally pick up the books, but I’m definitely kicking myself now as I’ve found a new favorite series. While it is true that it took me some time to warm up to both the writing and the characters in Blue Night, as soon as I did I was completely hooked. Blue Night ended on a high note for me and I was hooked once again as soon as I started Beton Rouge, which turned out to be an excellent ride. It’s easy to say that I had high hopes for Mexico Street after that, and I might just have found a new favorite!

There are a lot of things that turn this series into something special. Before I start, I do have to state first that this is actually book number eight that has been published in the original German series, but (only) book number three that has been translated into English. Due to the missing first five books, we might miss some background at times… In the case of Mexico Street the most pressing one would probably be the history behind Inceman and what happened to him, but we do get a few hints and in the end the lack of information didn’t bother me too much. And while Blue Night might be more difficult to get into without that background information, both Beton Rouge and Mexico Street can technically be read as stand-alones without too many issues.

On to my Mexico Street rambles… The first thing I love of this book and the series in general is the writing style. Simone Buchholz has an unique, snappy and snarky writing style laced with short sentences, a dark and sarcastic kind of humor and a style that goes between blunt and lyrical. Her writing style is highly recognizable and as soon as I read the first page I knew I was dealing with another authentic piece of Simone Buchholz writing again.Trust me, I’ve become addicted to it! I like how there isn’t just one style nor singular POV, seemingly using chaos and unpredictability to weave together the chapters and story. Flashbacks, different POVs, short sentences, breathtaking and almost lyrical sentences with a deeper meaning, humor, sarcasm… It sounds like a terrible mess, but it’s a most wonderful mess and if you ‘get’ the writing style you will find yourself hopelessly in love.

Another forte of this series lies without doubt with the main characters. The books have a colorful and diverse cast of characters who will have no problems winning over your heart… Chastity is the star of the show of course, and I love her in all her cigarette, beer, antisocial and disheveled glory. Quite a few of the characters we were introduced to in the previous books make their appearance once again in Mexico Street, although the main focus is on Stepanovic (and Calabretta) this time around. We see less of some of the other characters and I did miss them, although in a way it’s no surprise after how things ended in Beton Rouge to be honest… But I did end up enjoying the new balance as well as the introduction of Inceman as a character.

I also loved both the plot and the setting in Hamburg and Bremen. Having had the chance to get to know both cities briefly from a tourist point of view, it really enhanced the reading experience for me as I could actually imagine the characters in a real setting. I loved the descriptions of both cities and they set the perfect atmosphere for this story. The plot itself is intriguing and gives us plenty of action as well as insight in a foreign culture and just how different the rules for those families are. We get (organized) crime, we get death, we get an investigation angle, we get banter and we even get a forbidden love story… All wrapped up nicely into one brilliant story. How’s that for an excellent deal?!

As you might have guessed already, I loved my time with Mexico Street and I’m now officially a huge fan of Simone Buchholz‘ writing style. Before I sign off, a huge round of applause to Rachel Ward for the impecable translation, which makes it possible for us to get to know Chas Riley and the rest of the characters! Especially since my German is pretty rusty haha. If you enjoy noir, a good crime thriller and love an unique and unconventional writing style as well as cast of characters, you should definitely try this series.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Simone Buchholz was born in Hanau in 1972. At university, she studied
Philosophy and Literature, worked as a waitress and a columnist, and
trained to be a journalist at the prestigious Henri-Nannen-School in
Hamburg. In 2016, Simone Buchholz was awarded the Crime Cologne Award
as well as runner-up in the German Crime Fiction Prize for Blue Night,
which was number one on the KrimiZEIT Best of Crime List for months. She
lives in Sankt Pauli, in the heart of Hamburg, with her husband and son.

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Stacking The Shelves #109 – March 21st

Stacking The Shelves is hosted at Tynga’s Reviews and is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Let’s keep talking books to have something positive to look forward to in these strange and dark times… Argentina is under obligatory quarantine now too; you can only go outside to buy essentials and will be fined when caught breaking the quarantine for no reason. Or that is what they said was going to happen starting yesterday, but (at least where I live) people still don’t seem to get it… Sigh. I’ve been self isolating since Monday though; I only went outside the bare minimum to stock up and now I’m staying at home in the hope things will become better soon. It might have been a crappy and pretty lonely birthday on Thursday, but better safe than sorry! Stay safe and well everyone. ❤

Soooo… What has been the ARC damage since my last STS post two weeks ago? Not too bad overall, but I just couldn’t ignore the widget for Stacey Halls’ newest story The Lost Orphan (also known as The Foundling)… And I’ve been following Josie Quinn since book one, so of course I couldn’t resist getting book number eight as I don’t want to fall behind either. I also won an e-ARC of The Waiting Rooms on Twitter; the giveaway hosted by the wonderful Karen from Orenda Books. ❤ It definitely sounds like an on point read in these strange times!

# NETGALLEY #

# GIVEAWAY #

Click on the summaries below to go to the Goodreads page…

ARC REVIEW: The Secret Admirer – by Carol Wyer

Title: The Secret Admirer
(Detective Natalie Ward #6)
Author: Carol Wyer
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Detective
First published: April 2nd 2020
Publisher: Bookouture
Finished reading: March 10th 2020
Pages: 413

“I can see right through you because we are the same. We’re not what the world sees.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

I’ve been a fan of Carol Wyer‘s detective thrillers for a few years now, and I’m always looking forward to new titles. I’ve been following Natalie Ward ever since the first book came out back in 2018, and book number six is without doubt another shocking and more than solid ride. Just the dose of detective thrilller I needed! Technically you can read The Secret Admirer as a stand-alone, but you will be missing out on a lot of background information about the main characters and you might not get the full experience if you don’t read the previous books first… Especially since book six is another one that focuses on developments Natalie Ward’s private life as well as a new investigation. Plus, if you are a fan of the genre in the first place, you will be missing out on hours of detective entertainment!

I’m going to keep things short to avoid spoilers, but those who’ve read the previous books will know what I mean when I say that book number five had the most shocking ending I still can’t believe actually happened. I’ve been dying to start The Secret Admirer to learn about how things would continue afterwards, and this story definitely delivers when it comes to further development of Natalie’s personal life. The bigger focus on her private life was more than needed after that nuclear plot twist bomb in the previous book, and while it does give the story a different vibe, I was personally more than satisfied with this new balance. The investigation in The Secret Admirer is intriguing, although I do have to admit I saw the ending coming early on… But the developments in Natalie’s private life were less easy to guess.

The writing makes it really easy to keep turning those pages, and while the pace might be a tad slower in the beginning, things will get more intense as the investigation gets more complicated. Secrets, twists, manipulation, abuse, addiction… Why was Gemma attacked and who was behind it? What are the people close to her hiding? Things take a personal turn after new development, and while I did see the final reveals involving the investigation coming, I was completely flabbergasted by the developments in Natalie’s private life. Prepare yourself for another shocker, as things won’t be easy for her in book number six either! That said, I do have to say that I will never like David as a character and even the events in The Secret Admirer weren’t enough to make me feel sympathetic towards him… Call me coldhearted, but it is what it is I guess. I did enjoy seeing the development in the other characters involved, and I already can’t wait to discover how things will continue for all the main characters in play in the next book.

This detective thriller series has been highly entertaining and suspenseful from the very first book, and The Secret Admirer is already book number six and no exception to the rule. Both the previous book and this new installment have very shocking developments in store for our main character Natalie Ward; plot twists that will most likely catch you completely unawares. If you enjoy the genre, you will most likely have a great time with this series!

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