Dear Child

Dear Child by Romy Hausmann     343 pages (galley)

Lena and her two children live in a windowless shack deep in the woods, prisoner to the rules set by their captor, the father. He says he is protecting them from the outside world, but when Lena manages to escape, she learns the nightmare hasn't ended. Instead, is she really "Lena," the girl who disappeared 14 years ago? Or is she someone else, scarred to look like Lena? And even though she has escaped, why does she feel like someone is still watching her, waiting to take her back into the woods?

This is a chilling, page-turner of a thriller. A blend of psychological thriller with an edge of horror, the author gives us compelling characters and enough unreliable narrators to keep you guessing until the very end.

Good for readers who enjoyed Room, Gone Girl, and who like unreliable (yet relatable) narrators. You may sleep with the light on after you finish this book.

Monday’s Not Coming

Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson, 435 pages

Claudia’s best friend, Monday, doesn’t show up for the first day of school, or the second, or the whole first week.  When Claudia tries to find out where she is, it seems that no one knows or really cares.  She talks to her parents, teachers at school, and even goes by Monday’s house, although, because Monday lives in a bad neighborhood, her mother would kill her if she found out.  Teacher’s check and say Monday is being home schooled, but her family said that she was with her dad, or maybe her aunt.  Claudia doesn’t believe that Monday would just abandon her and she’s determined to get to the truth, no matter what.  This was an amazing, sad, beautiful book that everyone should read.  I didn’t expect it to end the way it did, but looking back, I’m not entirely surprised either.  This is a great book for teens who like realistic books.

Never Never

NeverNever by James Patterson & Candice Fox, 363 pages

“Never... assume you know someone. Harry Blue is the top Sex Crimes investigator in her department. She's a seasoned pro who's seen it all. But even she didn't see this coming: her own brother arrested for the grisly murders of three beautiful young women. Never... accept a reassignment to the middle of nowhere "for your own good." Harry's been sent to a makeshift town in a desolate landscape-a world full of easy money, plenty of illegal ways to spend it, and a ragtag collection of transient characters who thrive on the fringes of society. A place where little grows, but evil flourishes. Never... trust anyone. Looking into a seemingly simple missing persons case, Harry's been assigned to a new "partner." But is he actually meant to be a watchdog? Still reeling from the accusations against her brother, Harry can't even trust her own instincts, which she's never doubted...until now. Never... go anywhere without leaving a trace. Far from the world she knows and desperate to clear her brother's name, Harry has to mine the dark secrets of her strange new home for answers to a deepening mystery-before she vanishes in a place where no one would ever think to look for her. Never Never is an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride with enough intrigue and suspense to keep you guessing until the final page. You'll never be able to put it down.”  I liked this story, although it was a little too predictable because I had the mystery solved well before the end.  Also, I was a little disappointed that a major plot point was not resolved.  I’m assuming that there will be a sequel, but I will be bitterly unhappy if there isn’t, since such a large part was unresolved.  Patterson fans will enjoy it.

Turtles All The Way Down

TurtlesAll The Way Down by John Green, 286 pages

Aza is mentally ill.  She can’t stop the racing thoughts that attack her nearly all of the time.  Even though she wants to feel better, she worries that taking her medication and stopping the thoughts will make her someone she is not.  She misses her father, who died in a car accident several years ago.  Daisy hatches a plan to find missing billionaire, Russell Pickett, and collect the reward money.  Daisy thinks that it’s fate, because Aza knew his son from camp a few years prior.  When Aza and Davis meet again they find that they have a connection but it may not be strong enough to overcome Aza’s illness and Davis’s worries about his father and how his money affects his relationships.  This was a fantastic book that I plan to recommend to all teens.

The Last Time I Lied

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager     384 pages

From Goodreads:

Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their tiny cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. The games ended when Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin in the dead of night. The last she--or anyone--saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.

Now a rising star in the New York art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings--massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches that cover ghostly shapes in white dresses. The paintings catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale. When Francesca implores her to return to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor, Emma sees an opportunity to try to find out what really happened to her friends.

Yet it's immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale. Already haunted by memories from fifteen years ago, Emma discovers a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian left behind about the camp's twisted origins. As she digs deeper, Emma finds herself sorting through lies from the past while facing threats from both man and nature in the present.

And the closer she gets to the truth about Camp Nightingale, the more she realizes it may come at a deadly price.

I tried so hard to figure out “who did it.” Sadly, I was not successful, but I guess that just means that Sager made a compelling story that was unpredictable and new. This felt like a real story, it was so thrilling, page by page. Once the story returns Camp Nightingale, Sager really hits her stride and the story picks up and it’s difficult to put down.

Overall, it’s a solid mystery – I really enjoyed reading it, I enjoyed the suspense, and I really liked the writing. Sager is really talented and I’m interested in reading anything else he has written. I’d definitely recommend this to mystery buffs and anybody who is in for a thriller story.

Missing

Missing by Kelley Armstrong, 375 pages

“The only thing Winter Crane likes about Reeve's End is that soon she'll leave it. Like her best friend did. Like her sister did. Like most of the teens born in town have done. There's nothing for them there but abandoned mines and empty futures. They're better off taking a chance elsewhere. What Winter will miss is the woods. Her only refuge. At least it was. Until the day she found Lennon left for dead, bleeding in a tree. But now Lennon is gone too. And he has Winter questioning what she once thought was true. What if nobody left at all? What if they're all missing?”  This was a fascinating read that didn’t give away all of secrets until the very end.  I would definitely give it to teens who like thrillers.

The Muralist

The Muralist by B. A. Shapiro  337 pages

The latest B. A. Shapiro novel, after The Art Forger, delves into the art world in two centuries and with two artists.

In 2015, Danielle Abrams (Dani) works as a cataloguer for Christies in New York. A lapsed artist, Dani receives several paintings that have been found in an attic. They could be some undiscovered works by Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, or Mark Rothko. However, Dani sees something different; the paintings remind her of her great-aunt Alizee Benoit’s work. In the world of abstract expressionism, there has always seemed to be a missing link. Dani has always thought that work could be Alizee’s.

In1939, Alizee Benoit is working for the WPA (Works Progress Adminstration under Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal). Her best friends are Jackson Pollock, Leo Krasner, and Mark Rothko. They are painting murals for various buildings, but their true passion is abstract expressionism.

Alizee is a Jew from France and has left her entire family there. As Hitler’s rise to power escalates, letters from her family become more and more desperate, begging her to help them obtain visas to get out. When she’s working on her art, she wants her paintings to reflect the Jewish crisis. When she’s working for the WPA but she’s forced to paint idyllic country scenes. Alizee gets to meet Eleanor Roosevelt, who becomes a champion of her art. This seems a tad implausible, but Shapiro is so deft as a writer, that it’s interesting but not a read-breaker.

Alizee’s family (her brother, aunt, uncle, and two cousins, one with a family) manage to get aboard the MS St. Louis. The plight of the 937 Jews trying to escape persecution was mentioned, but did not delve deep enough for me. That story is all but a footnote in history now, but readers who are curious can learn more about it in: Refuge Denied: The St. Louis Passengers and the Holocaust by Sarah A. Ogilvie and Scott Miller.

In the meantime, Dani discovers envelopes containing pieces of canvas behind the paintings that were recently discovered.  Dani is also trying to uncover what happened to Alizee. She checked into a sanatorium in 1940 and simply disappeared.

The narrative weaves back and forth between the past and present, bring the art world of the mid-20^th century to life. I had hoped to be swept away into this world while I read, but I was not. I was intrigued, but I didn’t find myself anxiously awaiting the time I could get back to the story.  Therefore, I give The Muralist 4 out of 5 stars.

Reality Check

Reality Check by Peter Abrahams, 330 pages

Cody’s life is pretty great.  He’s passing all of his classes, is quarterback of the football team with a good chance of a college scholarship, and a great girlfriend, Clea.  Then Clea’s dad decides to send her to a boarding school across the country and then Cody tears his ACL in the first game of the season.  The only reason to keep his grades up was to play football and this is the year scouts will be watching so, not seeing the point anymore, Cody drops out of school and starts work.  Until he finds out that Clea has gone missing from her school.  Even though they broke up before she left, Cody still loves her.  He sets out to help in the search and finds out that there may be a lot more going on than simply a missing girl.  This was a captivating suspense story.  I’m not sure why I liked it so much because it wasn’t really in depth but the characters were relatable and the story really kept moving and made me want to keep reading.  Teens that like suspense and thrillers will almost certainly want to read this book.

Forgotten Girls

The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel
312 Pages


 "The body of an unidentified woman was discovered in a local forest. A large, unique scar on one side of her face should have made the identification easy, but nobody has reported her missing. As the new commander of the Missing Persons Department, Louise risks involving the media by releasing a photo of the victim, hoping to find someone who knew her. Louise's gamble pays off: an older woman phones to say that she recognizes the woman as Lisemette, a child she once cared for in the state mental institution many years ago. Lisemette, like the other children in the institution, was abandoned by her family and branded a "forgotten girl." But Louise soon discovers something more disturbing: Lisemette had a twin, and both girls were issued death certificates more than thirty years ago. Aided by her friend journalist Camilla Lind, Louise finds that the investigation takes a surprising and unsettling turn when it brings her closer to her childhood home. And as she uncovers more crimes that were committed--and hidden--in the forest, she is forced to confront a terrible link to her own past that has been carefully concealed. "

This book felt flat to me and I didn't really engage with the main character.  The plot line was interesting albeit readily apparent as to who the culprit is in the end.

Deceived

Deceived by Irene Hannon, 408 pages

This is the third book in the Private Justice series.  These books are related in the sense that they are the same characters but they definitely do not need to be read in order.  Three years ago Kate Marshall lost her husband and son in a boating accident, but her son’s body was never recovered.  Now she is living in St. Louis and is convinced that she saw her son at a shopping mall.  Knowing that it’s almost certainly not true but desperate to get to the truth, she hires Connor Sullivan to track down the boy and find out if he is her son or not.  This is more of a suspense and romance than a mystery.  We get to see all sides of this story and are well aware that the boy is Kate’s son but he man that has him will go to any lengths to keep him.  We also get to watch the budding romance between Kate and Connor.  Hannon is a good writer and this is a good story, as are all of the books in this series.  Readers that enjoy this genre will enjoy these books.

Cold Cold Heart

Cold Cold Heart by Tami Hoag
388 Pages


"Dana Nolan was a promising young TV reporter until a notorious serial killer tried to add her to his list of victims. Nearly a year has passed since surviving her ordeal, but the physical, emotional, and psychological scars run deep.; Struggling with the torment of post-traumatic stress syndrome, plagued by flashbacks and nightmares as dark as the heart of a killer, Dana returns to her hometown in an attempt to begin to put her life back together. But home doesn't provide the comfort she expects. Dana's harrowing story and her return to small town life have rekindled police and media interest in the unsolved case of her childhood best friend, Casey Grant, who disappeared without a trace the summer after their graduation from high school.; Terrified of truths long-buried, Dana reluctantly begins to look back at her past." 

A solid mystery with plenty of red herrings to try and trip you up.  

Trapped

Trapped by Irene Hannon, 393 pages

This is the second Private Justice novel.  These books do not have to be read in any sort of order.  Although this books refers to some things that happened in the first book, it’s not at all necessary to have read it to follow this story.  Laura Griffith has hired a detective to help find her runaway 16 year old sister, Darcy.  The detective at the agency who catches her case is James “Dev” Devlin.  These books are not mysteries.  We see what is happening on Laura and Dev’s side of the search but we also get to see what is happening from Darcy’s perspective.  It is more of a thriller since there is the worry that Darcy won’t be found before she is in serious trouble and it is also a romance as things heat up between Dev and Laura.  Hannon is a good writer and this series has been pretty enjoyable so far.  I’m looking forward to the third book as well.

Leaving Time

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult, 405 pages

This story is told from several different points of view, but mostly from Jenna, a thirteen year old girl, who has been living with her grandmother for the past decade.  When Jenna was three, a terrible accident happened on the elephant sanctuary where her parents worked and they all lived.  One of their colleagues was killed, Jenna’s mom, Alice, went missing, and Jenna’s father ended up in psychiatric facility.  Jenna enlists the help of the detective from the original case and a psychic to find her mom.  She has never wanted to believe that her mom willingly abandoned her but also doesn’t want to believe that her mom is dead.  We hear Alice’s story prior to that night from Alice’s point of view and we also get some of the story from the detective and the psychic.  Although there is not a lot of action, this is a compelling story with an ending that completely surprised me.  I would highly recommend this to people who like mysteries or family stories with a little paranormal thrown in.

The Cracks In The Kingdom

The Cracks In The Kingdom by Jaclyn Moriarty, 468 pages

This is the second book in The Colors Of Madeleine series.  Elliot, who lives in Cello, and Madeleine, who lives in the World (England, to us), have continued to communicate by letter through the crack they have found between our two worlds.  Elliot has begun using this connection to try to help Princess Ko, whose family has disappeared.  She believes that they have been sent to the World and has been devising plans to get them back.  Since most of the kingdom is unaware of the disappearance, this has been covert.  Of course, if Elliott is caught he is likely to be executed, since any type of communication between the two realms is expressly forbidden.  And time is running out.  An invitation has arrived for the King that cannot be refused and if he isn’t back in three months, Cello will likely be at war.  On a better note, two agents have been working to find Elliot’s father, who has also been missing, but they believe they have located the Hostiles who were responsible and it appears that they are willing to negotiate to release Elliot’s father.  A really good fantasy novel with some action, but more introspective.  Teens that like a quieter fantasy novel will probably like this series.

Obsidian Mirror

Obsidian Mirror by Catherine Fisher, 378 pages

This is the first book in a new series.  Jake is convinced that Oberon Venn, his godfather, has murdered his father and now he is finally going to have the chance to confront him about it.  Jake’s father, who was Venn’s best friend, disappeared while visiting with Venn a few years ago.  Since then, Venn has paid for Jake to go to boarding school but has never seen him, until now.  Sarah is a young woman who has appeared at Venn’s doorstep.  She is there on a mission but Venn is willing to let her stay because he can use her.  When Jake arrives also, he learns that the truth about his father’s disappearance is more complicated than he realized, but it’s possible that his father is still alive.  The trick will be whether they can find him and bring him home.  Because this book is the first in a series not all of our questions are answered in this book, however, the end wraps up enough of the story that it is not disappointing.  With a lot of action, this science fiction/fantasy thriller will engage a lot of teens who enjoy these genres.

Visions

Visions by Kelley Armstrong
448 Pages


The second book of Armstrong's Cainsville series continues to develop this new fictional universe.   After Olivia has cleared her real parents of 2 of the murders they were charged with she plans to continue working with Gabriel on a new appeal for her mother.  However, past mistakes cause a rift between the two of them which leads to Olivia dating Ricky, the son of the leader of the local biker gang. 

Olivia finds a dead woman in her car dressed to look like her but when help arrives the body is gone.  It turns out the woman went missing days ago and is part of a mystery the revolves around Olivia and Cainsville.  As it turns out Olivia is in the center of several old and mysterious forces, all with their own secretive agendas. 

The development of the backstory of Cainsville is part of the reason I enjoyed this book and look forward to future releases.  Strong secondary characters  are part of a solid sophomore entry.

Bellweather Rhapsody

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
340 Pages


 The book opens with Minnie Graves complaining about the bridesmaid's she has to wear for her sister's wedding.  As she wanders through the hotel she comes across the scene of a murder/suicide. 

Fifteen years later the Hatfield twins are traveling to the same hotel for a statewide music festival.  Minnie is also returning to the hotel to confront her ghosts.  When Alice's roommate Jill is found hanging in the same room, Alice calls for help only to return and find the body missing.  Everyone is a suspect and Alice and her twin Rabbit must find out what happened.

The strength of the book is not the mystery but the way the author describes the world of music and how the performers create new experiences through their playing of music.  The end is actually a mish-mash with too many plot lines and red herrings coming together.  The book has moments of very good writing but attempts to do too much.

Rooftoppers

Rooftoppers by Katharine Rundell           277 pages

Charles found Sophie when she was just a baby, floating in a cello case after a shipwreck.  Charles decided to keep Sophie, which the National Childcare Agency, represented by Miss Eliot, thought was appalling.  But, when Sophie was a young girl, they could find nothing technically wrong with his child care methods, and were forced to let them stay together.  Sophie was content in her home with Charles, who allowed her to wear pants instead of skirts and to make notes and draw pictures on the walls and to learn to play cello, which was something that only men usually did.  However, when Sophie turned 12, the Agency decided that, because she was becoming a young woman, Sophie must be removed from a home where there were no female caregivers and go to live in an orphanage.  On the basis of a small clue, Sophie and Charles decide to go to Paris to search for Sophie’s mother, whom Sophie believes survived the shipwreck, to try to prevent her going to an orphanage and in Paris, Sophie has extraordinary adventures.  This was a really good historical adventure story that a lot of older kids would probably like.