His Last Wife by Ruhi Choudhary

 This is a domestic drama full of hideous characters doing odious, repulsive things.

Readers will have to completely suspend disbelief at this mishmash timeline with all of the nasty people involved. 

Anna meets Cary Danvers when he is a patient seeing a therapist after his wife went missing and is presumed dead. There is nothing about Anna that matches Dr. Danvers’ social position, yet he becomes romantically involved with her and takes her home to meet his infant daughter. Soon they are living together. Unfortunately, his missing wife, the perfect Presley Scott, still looms large over the household, especially since her mother, Juliet, lives there too. But it’s Anna’s complete obsession taking over the daughter, Harper, and becoming her “mommy” that really sends this novel into the next dimension. You know what happens next is not going to be good. In fact, it’s beyond terrible. 

The novel is divided into several parts with different points of view. I listened to the audio version while reading along and it was difficult to tell who was speaking at times. As previously stated, the characters were all deplorable with their secrets, lies, and actions. 

Thank you to Bookouture for providing the ARC copies for me to read and review. This was not my cup of tea. 

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - domestic drama, triggers such as incest, domestic violence

Truth Unveiled (Dr. Samantha Jenkins #1) by Stephanie Kreml

 I'm always on the lookout for authors writing medical thrillers and saw this one and thought I would take a chance as it is the first in a series. Although it is short and contains a lot of medical facts and information, I doubt I will read any others. 

Samantha (Sam) is working at an urgent care center that also deals with workman's comp issues. She dropped out of her residency program after her mom died, so she is not board certified making this one of the few jobs she can get as a doctor. Lots of clinical scenarios where Sam continues to dispense her explanations of these conditions ad nauseum like a textbook or lecture. It got old fast -- no need for all that and it shouldn't comprise so much of a fiction mystery novel. And it's so crazy that all these educated adults needed so much explaining. I mean, don't they watch any television?

The other problem was the plot. Rather lame that there are 2 deaths and an accident among a small group of friends over a couple of weeks. And the reveal -- let's just say I was underwhelmed. I didn't care for the character of Samantha who seems to be the object of desire for guys (no idea why) but is a know it all and the things she does in her amateur investigation are a bit on the border of being unethical and illegal. She was not their treating physician, and their medical records are out of bounds. Being asked to investigate by the sister of the first man killed is not a license to snoop. But I digress. I had quite a few issues with such a short book.

This is the first in a series that probably should be read in order.

Genre - medical mystery

The Manor House by Gilly Macmillan

 This suspenseful mystery thriller was so much fun to listen to and read!

Tom and Nicole have the best life! They have a wonderful marriage and have just won the lottery. They now live in a beautiful smart house on a wooded peninsula in Gloucestershire. Money is no object, and they are living their dreams. But trouble comes to ruin it all with a shocking tragedy. Tom is found dead in their swimming pool. The police don't think this was an accident. Although Nicole is alone, she finds some comfort knowing that her neighbors in the nearby Manor House and their housekeeper can provide some solace. And, then an old friend comes to help her during this time of grief. But something is rotten and soon Nicole is afraid. 

So deliciously chilling and with all manner of twists and turns, this was one of those books that you can't bear to put down. The characters were very well drawn and each voiced quite well by the two narrators on the audiobook. The shifts in time and perspective moved the story along and the reader can follow the deft plotting as the machinations and manipulation reveal some really devious actors. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-book ARC to read and review. The audiobook was obtained from my local library. I like to listen and read simultaneously.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - mystery thriller, psychological

The Engagement Party by Darby Kane

 An isolated island, a group of college friends, and a party form the backdrop to this mystery thriller.

Years have passed when the invitation to an engagement party comes in the mail. Old college friends, bound by secrets and lies, agree to attend and arrive for a weekend meant for celebration. Twelve years have elapsed since their friend Emily Hunt was murdered and the student who was thought to be guilty committed suicide. But this group is about to get a surprise. Someone knows that they have not been telling the truth. And they are about to be exposed.

This novel was full of melodrama, deplorable characters, and far too wordy to hold interest. It reminded me of a bad teenage slasher film. I could not stand these young adults and their behavior. Every bit of this was such a trope including the island setting and the storm. I didn't feel any tension or suspense and only kept reading to find out if all my guesses were right. Predictable and annoying with the ending you expect. I'd pass if I were you.

Thank you to the publisher for the e-book ARC to read and review. I also got the audiobook from the library to follow along and the narrator had a lot of voices to try to make distinct and often fell short. Sadly, this was not for me.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - mystery thriller, locked room,

One Liar Left (Detective Freya Sinclair #2) by Emily Shiner

 Second in series, mystery thriller set in Fawn Lake.

Detective Freya Sinclair is investigating the murders of two women found up in the Clear Creek Forest and wonders if the similarities found on autopsy indicate that an old nemesis has resumed his work. The Fawn Lake Killer was never caught, and the area was once his hunting ground. Then another victim is found in Freya's own backyard. Someone is taunting her. And it's freaky that the women are missing their tongues -- what signal is the villain sending? The dead women must be connected. Freya and her team try to put the few clues together. 

This was another fast paced read that was easy to finish in a single sitting. Freya is a good detective, but honestly, the woman is wearing me out just reading about her. Give her some food, much more sleep, a bit of physical therapy, and seriously strong pain meds. And tell the Chief to back off, he's definitely on my last nerve always trying to suspend her or get her off the case. It makes no sense since she always solves it. I did not find the plot of this to be all that deep and no twists as most of what happened was predictable. Several loose ends remained. I wish we could rate with half stars. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. 

This is the second in a series read in order.

Genre - mystery thriller, serial killer, police procedural

End of Story by A. J. Finn

 A stylized literary thriller and family mystery.

Nicky Hunter is somewhat an expert in mysteries and detective fiction, and she has been corresponding with a famous novelist, Sebastian Trapp, for years. Now that he is dying, she's invited out to San Francisco to meet him. He says he wants her to write his final story, sort of a biography, of his life. When she arrives at the mansion, she meets his current wife, Diana, his daughter, Madeleine, and some other extended family. Sebastian hints that the two, while working together on his story, might solve an old mystery -- perhaps to finally reveal what happened to Sebastian's first wife and his teen son who vanished on New Year's Eve in 1999. 

This was long. And wordy. Other than that, the plot was interesting, and the characters were mysterious and somewhat hard to figure out. Not fast paced, it takes ages to get to the big reveals and I must admit there were a few surprises. There are lots of references to the works of other famous mystery writers of old, and many quotes. I read along while listening to the audiobook which was done well although it would have been even better with multiple narrators. 

Genre - mystery, secrets and lies, family drama

This is a standalone and is not part of any series. 

Once upon A Crime by Alan Brenham

 This crime thriller started out well and then it shifted into a frustrating and disappointing conclusion. 

Detective Madison Chase is on the hunt for a serial killer who is targeting sex offenders. The unknown suspect sends poems to the police giving hints about the next murder and signs them P.G. A witness can only say that the killer is a woman. It also seems that this villain is focused on Madison and her daughter, Emily. 

The chapters are short and there are a lot of different characters with various points of view in the narrative. Madison and her ex-husband are engaged in a custody issue with their daughter and that takes up way too much of the book and the voice of Emily in the story was far too ridiculous for her age and I really got annoyed with that. The twist was out of nowhere and completely unbelievable considering that the reader has been in that person's mind. 

Anyway, the book was good until the last half when it veered off and never recovered for me. This was an ARC. 

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - crime thriller, sexual predators, serial killer