Post from April: We are all the same in the dark

We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin   352 pages  (e-galley)

Trumanell may have disappeared a decade ago, but her brother Wyatt still hears her voice.  People in their small town are still looking for her, and suspect Wyatt knows where she is. When Wyatt finds a young girl abandoned in a field, he thinks it's a sign from Trumanell. However, Odette Tucker, the town's youngest cop, thinks this girl is bad news. Desperate to figure out who this girl is, and find Trumanell for once and for all, Odette has to delve into her own dark past.
This is a dark psychological thriller filled with twists and unreliable narrators.  A deep sense of unease threads its way through the story, and it is difficult to know who to trust or what will happen in the end.
Good for readers who enjoy dark psychological suspense, and a general sense of uneasiness combined with a steady pace and compelling characters.

For LibraryReads: Trumanell disappeared 10 years ago, but has left an indelible mark on her small town, her brother, and best friend. When a damaged young girl is found, is there a link to Trumanell?
Good for readers who enjoy dark psychological suspense, and a general sense of uneasiness combined with a steady pace and compelling characters.

 - Jen O. (sent to myself and then missed in my email)

Clear my name

Clear My Name by Paula Daly   292 pages

Miscarriage of justice or the perfect crime?  As the sole paid employee of the Innocence UK charity, it's up to Tess to determine if Carrie actually murdered her husband's lover years ago, or if Carrie is innocent. Three years into her 15-year sentence, Carrie is losing hope. However, Tess started to put together the clues and it does appear Carrie is innocent . . . but at the back of her mind, Tess still has some doubts.

This is a different take on the usual crime novel, and while the pacing is even, the story has enough ups and downs to make it a compelling page-turner of a read. It's an interesting way to tell the story, moving between the characters of Tess and Carrie, and moving back and forth in time. It's clear that both women have secrets, so you're kept a bit off balance with both of them, not knowing if they have ulterior motives or if their secrets will ultimately affect the case and whether or not Carrie is set free.  I've enjoyed other books by this author and this was another good read.

The Whisper Man

The Whisper Man by Alex North   369 pages  I read a galley

Dark and atmospheric, this thriller weaves together a multi-generational story of a father and son, along with a town's dark past and lingering fears about a serial killer. If you like high tension with your suspense, mixed with some menace, this is the book for you.

Tom Kennedy thinks a new start, in a new town, is just what he and his son need after the sudden death of his wife. However, the town they move to has a dark past and their own house seems to have some sinister secrets all its own. It doesn't help that right when they're settling in, a young boy vanishes on his way home. To add to the tension, it seems that this disappearance bears a strong resemblance to the terrible crimes committed by "The Whisper Man" years before.  But "The Whisper Man" is in prison, isn't he?  And just who is Tom's son hearing at the window?

This is a nailbiter of a book. The characters are realistic, so even when you start wondering if there might be some bit of a supernatural element to the story, you tell yourself you must be wrong. But there's seriously something going on --- who is the little girl that only Tom's son can see?  If you think you know what's going to happen next in the story, prepare yourself for some twists.

Gone by Midnight

Gone by Midnight (Crimson Lake #3) by Candice Fox   400 pages  I read a galley 

Taut and suspenseful, with a touch of wry humor, Candice Fox brings back ex-cop Ted Conkaffey and his partner, Amanda Pharrell, in this story of a race against time to find a missing boy. Perfect for fans of books by Dennis Lehane or Sophie Hannah.
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Ex-copy Ted Conkaffey is trying to rebuild his life and connect with his young daughter when he gets called to help the police with a case. An eight-year old boy has gone missing and the boy's mother insists that Conkaffey be brought in to help. Which, of course, means that Conkaffey will bring his partner, Amanda Pharrell, in to help. As a convicted killer, Amanda has never had the best relationship with the police. However, her clockwork brain and sharp instincts will be essential to finding the missing boy. Filled with twists and turns, and bits of dark and wry humor, this book has a pace that slowly builds until you realize you're turning page after page, letting your dinner grow cold or staying up past your bedtime, just to find out what happens.

This is the third book in the Crimson Lake series, and partway into the first few chapters, I realized I had read the previous book and not realized it was a series. So, I was very happy to be rejoined with these two characters.

The Night Season

The Night Season by Chelsea Cain                 Audio Book: 9 hours             Paperback Book:  400 pages                    

Another excellent murder mystery will lead investigator Archie Sheridan.    Chelsea Cain is excellent at creating stories and characters so real it is as if you are reading the inside scoop on current horrendous criminal cases.    Excellent character development.    It’s as though the reader is in the inner circle of the crime investigators both law and journalistic ones.   A real suck in your breath this is going to take you on a wild ride story.     Cain must do a lot of research because she gives details on important parts of the story that are extremely well developed and delectable tidbits that seriously make the story POP.   She is a master at that, and the reader will not only enjoy the story but will come away from each of her books having learned things about the law, medical procedures, forensics, and a multitude of other topics depending on where her stories take you.   I love learning things and each of her stories are so enjoyable from beginning to end that the reader will pick up so many new facts there will be dozens of new wrinkles in your brain by the time you complete one of her books.     This story concerns a massive flood breaking through the walls built to contain such occurrences and that is only the beginning.   You might want to pour yourself your hot drink of choice while reading this one because the rain and flooding described will actually make the reader feel chilled right along with the characters in the story.    So much action and surprises occur, floating skeletons, a child turning up that has been missing longer than statistically possible for him to still be alive,  lives being saved in raging torrents turned into rivers of debris, and a serial killer with an unusual hobby turned into weaponry.    The bodies mount pretty quickly in this one and it is a toss up if Archie is going to make it out alive or not.   I won’t spoil the story, but, if you are a murder mystery fan, this is truly the series for you.   This is my second and I am definetly going to try and read every title this gal has done.   Bravo, Chelsea Cain.    Another winner.

Cold Blooded

Cold Blooded by Lisa Regan  310 pages

I was first introduced to Lisa Regan’s work when I read Finding Claire Fletcher. Tautly written---except of the last couple of chapters---it was one of the best-rounded kidnapping stories that I have read in recent years.

Regan stays within the same mystery/suspense/thriller genre, but this time the story revolves around a terminally ill former detective, Augustus Knox, and a cold case. The story is set in 2014 with the murder of Sydney Adam, high school track star, occurred in 2002.

Knox is a drunk, the unresolved murder of Sydney has haunted---and ruined---him. I’m not sure why, but I pictured him as a rather obese man, but the description of his jaundice and thin, frail frame just didn’t jive with me. Maybe if it was brought up earlier. Now Knox has congestive heart failure and COPD. His doctor believes he will be dead in three to four months, but he isn’t ready to give up entirely. He is bound and determined to find Sydney’s killer.

He enlists the help of the private detective Jocelyn Rush and her partner Anita. Rush. Jocelyn has a whole set of her own problems and is scarred individual, physically, mentally, and emotionally. But she’s still a good detective.

Now it’s up to the three of them to determine if the person of interest all those years ago can finally be brought to justice. There are some interesting twists as Jocelyn, Anita, and Know draw closer to the truth…which was shocking. Cold Blooded is a good read; I give it 4 out of 5 stars.