Tag Archives: #mystery

Reader’s Log 059: Discovering and New Beginnings

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Wish-List 5

Even though my book selections to-read next year is full, I can’t help continue to be on the hunt for more. Searching for books is all part of the fun of discovering new authors, new titles or perhaps re-visiting a genre you haven’t picked up in a while. Whatever the case, it is thrilling and well worth your time!

Not too long ago, I got back into Christian Fiction and I have read a few great ones this year. Back in the day, I felt many of the stories I read were cheesy and unrealistic. I’m delighted I took the chance to come back to the genre and I’m pleased with what the authors are bringing to the genre. My thanks to the authors and publishers! You’ve brought back so many readers to the genre.

Check out below what I have added to my wish-list and may they inspire you to add them to your to-read pile.  

Stephanie

The Girl Upstairs by Jessica R. Patch

Pub Date Apr 28 2026 by Harlequin – Romance

PAGES: 368

Christian | General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers

She bought this house to save her marriage. Unearthing its secrets might just claim her life.

Gwen McDaniel’s life is broken. But she knows the perfect place to fix it. Cold Harbor, Maine, an idyllic small town with views of Acadia National Park, is where she used to vacation with her parents as a child. Here, she and Steven can start over, renovating their cliff-side fixer-upper while patching up their marriage. Soon, everything will be better.

Except from the moment they arrive, Gwen sees and hears things, and it’s more than just the drafts and shadows that are part of any old house. Steven downplays her fears, warning her not to fixate on problems as she has in the past. But Gwen spent years as a homicide detective, and her instincts don’t lie. Something happened here. Proof comes when she rips up the attic’s carpet to discover a chilling message carved into the wood underneath.

As Gwen delves into the history of the house and the Cold Harbor community, she begins to piece the fragments together. And gradually, a terrifying picture emerges: A missing girl. A house of horrors. And a dark, decades-old nightmare that is more haunting than Gwen ever imagined…

The Lost Story of Via Belle by Melanie Dobson

Publish Date April 14, 2026 by Tyndale House Publishers

PAGES: 384

Christian | Historical Fiction | Romance

1940. Via Belle’s sweet romance novels made readers believe in happily ever after. But Via’s reality was much more complicated. While her first husband was alive, her creativity thrived in a beautiful stone estate situated above a pristine lake and moonflower garden. After his tragic death and a whirlwind second marriage shrouded in secrets, Via vanished from public life, leaving behind a shadow of scandal . . . and her final story.

2006. Screenwriter Harper Rayne is desperate for a breakthrough, if only she can find the right story to tell. But when she digs into the life of her late mother’s favorite novelist, she never expects it to become personal. Drawn to the quaint Pennsylvania town where both her mother and Via once lived, Harper discovers more than a mystery to solve—she finds echoes of her own longing for love, healing, and home. As long-buried secrets come to light, Harper must decide if she’ll protect the past or rewrite this particular ending.

Described as a “powerhouse in dual-timeline Christian fiction” (Library Journal), Melanie Dobson delivers another rich, atmospheric novel about the legacy of sacrificial love and the redemptive power of truth.

Standalone dual-timeline historical mystery filled with drama, faith, and intrigue

Clean, suspenseful historical fiction, perfect for fans of Susan Meissner, Lisa Wingate, or Patti Callahan Henry

Includes discussion questions for book groups

On Living Stone (Salome’s Story) by Heather Kaufman

Publish Date January 20, 2026 by Bethany House Publishers

PAGES: 400

Christian

“A beautifully told and imagined story.”–Tosca Lee, New York Times bestselling author on Before the King

“A biblical story with a heart for today’s world, pulling out an array of joy and hope, sorrow and loss.”–Mesu Andrews, award-winning author on Up from Dust

Every stone sings as it finds its purpose. This is the lesson restless Salome learns from her father as she grows up by the Sea of Galilee. Known as the wild girl with the quick tongue, Salome is determined to silence the critics who claim she has no future. An unexpected romance and the gift of two sons, James and John, leave her hopeful and resolved to prove herself as a mother.

Salome’s dreams are challenged, however, when her sons answer the call to follow Jesus of Nazareth. As James and John are drawn deeper into Jesus’ ministry, opposition to his message intensifies, leaving Salome with a choice. Can her family continue down the path of discipleship when it might cost them everything? With threats abounding, Salome must confront her fears, even as she discovers her own worth in this most unexpected rabbi.

A journey of faith unfolds in this New Testament-inspired story of Salome, mother of Jesus’ apostles James and John. This compelling biblical fiction book explores themes of family, sacrifice, courage, and redemption, making it a stirring read for fans of The Chosen, Francine Rivers, Tessa Afshar, and Angela Hunt.

The Lumber Baron’s Wife by Lynn Austin

Publish Date Apr 14 2026 by Tyndale House Publishers

 PAGES: 368

Christian | Romance | Women’s Fiction

When the young wife of a powerful lumber baron vanishes into the wilds of frontier Michigan, her friend is left to unravel the truth in this captivating dual-timeline novel from bestselling author Lynn Austin.

1873. After a devastating loss, Hannah Wagner never imagined she’d leave her comfortable home for the harsh, unfamiliar wilderness near Lake Michigan. But when Henry Abernathy—a friend of her husband, John—offers them a fresh start in a booming lumber town, where John’s skills as a doctor are sorely needed, Hannah reluctantly agrees. There, she meets Kate, Henry’s spirited, much younger wife. Kate’s sharp tongue and outsider status have made her unwelcome among the town’s elite, and when she begins confiding in Hannah, it’s clear her marriage is not what it seems . . . and that a secret from her past could destroy everything.

Present day. Ashley Gilbert never planned to settle in Michigan, but when her husband lands his dream job as a conservationist, she agrees to follow. While restoring their historic home—built in the 19th century for a doctor and his wife—Ashley becomes captivated by its past and its connection to the nearby Abernathy mansion, now being transformed into a museum. While volunteering with the restoration, she stumbles upon the unsolved mystery of Kate Abernathy’s disappearance. What begins as curiosity soon becomes a quest for the truth—one that will connect her to two women whose stories and struggles echo and inspire her own.

Witness Protection- A Legal Suspense Novel by Robert Whitlow

Publish Date April 07, 2026

PAGES: 464

Thomas Nelson Fiction | Thomas Nelson

Christian | General Fiction (Adult)

Jon Tremaine has lived in hiding for years–will coming out of the shadows to help a friend be too great a risk?

All is finally good. Jon Tremaine has created a new life in Brunswick, Georgia, as part of the Federal Witness Protection program after testifying against the former drug cartel he was involved with. Only his wife, Sarah, and a handler with the US Marshal’s office know his true identity, and he is now the manager of a large commercial tree farm with a baby on the way. But when one of Jon’s employees is arrested for allegedly smuggling drugs into the United States, he goes against his better judgment and inserts himself in the middle of the case, believing the man is an unsuspecting mole manipulated by sophisticated drug dealers.

Kelli Quinn, a highly skilled litigator with an Atlanta law firm, has moved to Brunswick to work with her best friend from law school, hoping to rebuild her life after a painful divorce. She and her two children find a temporary home with her aunt Carly, a woman whose great faith is making an impression on her new houseguests. For the first time in a very long while, Kelli sees a future where she can find balance between the job she loves and the family she loves even more.

New to the firm and in need of clients, Kelli agrees to represent Jon’s employee. The unfolding investigation reveals layers of criminal activity and possible connections to Jon’s past, putting everyone at risk of exposure–and even death.

Reader’s Log 054: Girl Lost by Kate Angelo

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I have been on the lookout for more mystery thrillers written by christian authors and I came across Kate Angelo and I thought I would add her book “Girl Lost” to my to-read list. This book comes out in September so I may purchase it when it does. I did spot this book on NetGalley but decided not to request it because I’m working on my backlog of reviews to turn in. So many books, so little time.

Stephanie

Pub Date Sep 23 2025 by Revell

Christian | Mystery & Thrillers | Romance

Description

A LOST BABY

Luna Rosati found acceptance and comfort with her childhood foster family, but when she became pregnant at sixteen, she gave the baby up for adoption and left without a word. Now a CIA counterintelligence officer, Luna wants to reconcile her fractured sense of self by finding the only blood family she has–the teenage daughter she’s never met. As Luna closes in on learning the girl’s identity with the help of her mentor, Stryker, she prepares to meet him in her old neighborhood–the last place she wants to be. Then Stryker is captured.   

AN INESCAPABLE PAST

Special Agent Corbin King changed his last name to escape the shadow of his convicted father serving a life sentence. When he runs into Luna, the object of his failed teenage romance, the two must put their pasts aside and work together to expose a secret that someone’s willing to kill for.

A DEADLY THREAT

But when they encounter a kidnapping, missing bodies, and murder, the secrets Corbin and Luna are keeping from one another are only the beginning of the threat they face with more than their own lives at stake.

Book Review: One Little Lie by Colleen Coble

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Pelican Harbor #1

Publication Date: March 03, 2020

Christian Fiction| Mystery & Thrillers | Romance

When Jane Hardy is appointed interim sheriff in Pelican Harbor, Alabama, after her father retires, there’s no time for an adjustment period. He is arrested for theft and then implicated in a recent murder, and Jane quickly realizes she’s facing someone out to destroy her father.

They escaped from a cult fifteen years ago, and Jane has searched relentlessly for her mother—who refused to leave—ever since. Could someone from that horrible past have found them?

Reid Bechtol is a well-known journalist who makes documentaries, and his sights are currently set on covering Jane’s career. Jane has little interest in the attention, but the committee who appointed her loves the idea of the publicity.

Jane finds herself depending on Reid’s calm manner as he follows her around taping his documentary, and they begin working together to clear her father. But Reid has his own secrets from the past, and the gulf between them may be impossible to cross.

It started with one little lie. But Jane Hardy will do everything in her power to uncover the truth.

My thoughts:

One Little Lie is the first book I have read written by Colleen Coble and I am happy to report I enjoyed this story. I love a good mystery that is a page turner and has you fully invested in the characters plight and the actions they take to right the situation they find themselves in. Those actions are not always the correct ones and that is par for the course when it comes to human nature and this story shows that. This story also shows how our past determines our choices in life in how we handle those choices. This story is faith based and gives a realistic picture of the struggles I mentioned above.

Out of all the characters relationships, I have to say Jane and her friend Olivia friendship touched me the most. Though Olivia was a side character, her gentle influence and support of Jane helps Jane through her process of healing from being in a cult and encouraging Jane to find true faith, healing, peace and reconciliation with God.

There are a few things left unanswered but I’m hoping to find those answers in the next book of this series.

If you are looking for a clean mystery with a great plot this one is for you!

Stephanie

The publishers recently made this book available on NetGalley again for review. I was delighted to read this book for an honest review.

Book Review: The Wrong Sister by Claire Douglas

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Publish Date Aug 05 2025 by Harper Perennial

You’ve known her all your life. Or have you?

Tasha and her older sister Alice may look alike, but they couldn’t be more different. Tasha’s married with two children and still lives in their hometown near Bristol. Alice is a high-flying scientist who travels the world with her equally successful husband.

Yet each sister would trust the other with her life.

When Tasha and her husband Aaron need a break and Alice offers to stay in their home with the kids, Tasha knows her family is in safe hands.

She couldn’t be more wrong.

The call from home is devastating. Alice and her husband Kyle have been attacked, leaving Alice in intensive care and Kyle dead. Rushing to the hospital, Tasha finds the police trying to piece events together. She can’t think why anyone would attack her sister.

Then the note arrives, addressed to Tasha:

It was supposed to be you . . .

Every family has secrets. Some more deadly than others.

My thoughts:

The Wrong Sister is the first book I’ve read by Claire Douglas and I have to say that she writes a solid family drama with twisty tuns. Everyone has a motive and the hidden secrets are so well crafted in this story, things are not what they seem in a shocking way. This story also explores what lengths people would go to for the ones they love or in some cases, the ones they despise. Lies told with what people think are “good intentions” have consequences. Family drama indeed!

The characters are engaging and flawed with interesting reactions to escalating events, even the ones they are working hard to down play which makes some of them believable in the eyes of their family members. After-all, no one wants to think the worse of someone they love. As the events escalate and unfold, the story has you racing to the end to find out the conclusion.

When I was starting to put the pieces of the mystery together, I have to admit I was blind-sided by the ending. Especially by a character I was hoping would make the right decision regarding a family member.

I rated this book three stars.

Stephanie

I obtained an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley for an honest review.

I must caution you, there is profanity in this book. More so in the beginning and then it tapers off with just a bit randomly sprinkled in.

Book Review: The Secrets of Good People by Boo Walker; Peggy Shainberg

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Pub Date Mar 18 2025 by Lake Union Publishing

On a tiny island off Paradiso, Florida, in 1970, neighbors gather to toast two new arrivals: shy Catherine and her taciturn husband, Dr. Frank Overbrook, who is taking over an old friend’s medical practice. It’s an intimate welcoming for the newlyweds, who have abandoned city life for swaying palms and an ocean breeze. But the morning after is anything but peaceful when Frank is found dead on the beach.

Detective Quentin Jones has his eyes on the island’s residents and the welcome party’s guest list. There’s the retiring doctor and host, as well as his nurse. Volatile marrieds Miriam and her husband, David, constantly at each other’s throats. The Carters, a strangely antisocial young couple. And Sylvie, a blind sculptor to whom Quentin lost his heart years ago.

But which one is a murderer? As the investigation unravels a close-knit group of friends, secrets are exposed—and more than one of them is worth killing for.

My thoughts:

I love a good mystery with all the right elements and this one is just the ticket. The story is compelling with intriguing and complex characters. Anyone of the people on the small island could have been the murderer and the motives are stacked high! Quentin Jones makes a great laid-back detective and completely unassuming with his breezy, casual Florida attire which helps him fit right in with the close-knit community.

I must confess I haven’t read stories by these authors before and what first caught my attention to the book was that it takes place in Florida-my home state. The premise sounded so intriguing and I wanted to know how the authors depict the setting for the story. Florida is an interesting place to say the least and what I mean by that is the people. I was thrilled that they chose the 1970s for this story because that period is still remnants of old Florida. If you’re not from Florida, you may not know what I’m talking about. Well, this story depicts a little of that and the small-town atmosphere of its native Floridians. I am pleased I chose this story and I found it engaging and the mystery had me guessing until the big reveal.

I rated this book four stars and I obtained a review copy from the publishers through NetGalley for an honest review.

I must caution you, there is a little spice in this story. I did skip over it but luckily, the scene was brief. Also there is a little profanity but not so much that it overwhelming or on a whole lot of pages, thankfully.

Stephanie

Book Review: The Dark Library by Mary Anna Evans

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Publish Date June 24, 2025 by Poisoned Pen Press

Historical Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers

Years after leaving home due to her father’s suffocating and oppressive treatment, Estella receives a phone call from Annie-her family’s housekeeper-that she must come home. Estella’s father has had a stroke that caused his death and her mother has gone missing. When she returns home, everything is disjointed and up in the air and she takes a teaching position at the college where her father influence was powerful to say the least. Not only that, their family house is celebrated throughout the decades and her Father’s library holds rare books that her father closely guards and with strict orders, Estella is not allowed to touch the books.

With her father’s death, her mother missing and the war that is raging on, Estella must figure out how she will support Annie, the house and the gorgeous land it sits on. The more she looks into her father’s and mother’s life, she realizes how much she doesn’t know about them and the secrets they have kept.

This Gothic tale of mystery, buried secrets, death, family and local town intrigue begins slowly and half way through the story, unfolds in a major way. I must confess, at first, I didn’t have high hope for this story but as the plot reveals itself, you have a better understanding of why the story starts out the way it does. It gave me a better understanding of the-bread crumbs-if you will- the author was dropping. You won’t be shown an explanation of why the story is called “The Dark Library” until the second half of the book and it is a shocker! I did not see that coming a mile away. The premise of this story is unique and the author sure can weave a story of intrigue and deceptive people that leaves you trusting no one. The ending does tie up loose ends the reader wonders about and I want to encourage readers who might be frustrated with the beginning to rally on. You won’t regret it.

A truly atmospheric story with Gothic themes, deadly secrets and twisty turns of events that has you racing to the end to discover the deceptions, truths and the fate of Estella and the people in her life.

I rated this book four stars and I obtained an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley for an honest review.

Stephanie

Book Review: Murder at the Loch by Dee MacDonald

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An Ally McKinley Mystery #2

Published March 3, 2025 by Bookouture

About the book:

Recent retiree Ally McKinley has stepped out with her puppy Flora for a walk by the loch in the tiny village of Locharran, taking a break from running the cosiest little guesthouse in the Highlands. But Ally’s peace and quiet is sunk when she and Flora find the body of a mysterious woman floating in the water…

Before she knows it, Ally finds herself wading into the middle of a new investigation. Who was the mystery woman and why was she killed? Her inquiries take her all over the from the corner shop and the nearby hotel to the turreted castle, home of local earl Hamish Sinclair where preparations are underway for his upcoming – and much gossiped about – wedding.

The body in the loch soon has the rumor mills buzzing. But then Elena, the earl’s new bride, is also found poisoned to death the morning after her marriage! With two deaths to investigate, the police appear to suspect almost everyone in Locharran, even Ally herself…

My thoughts:

Despite my enjoyment in cozy mysteries, they tend to be hit or miss with me. I’ve noticed that writers sometimes push the envelope-if you will-with this subgenre. What I like most about this genre is that you don’t have the usual run-of- the- mill graphic violence, profanity (kept to a minimum) or sex that a lot of mystery thrillers include. I love the idea of the murder happening off stage and how the story is written to reveal or discovery of the homicide. In this story, there are two murders that have taken place and we follow Ally McKinley in solving the case. I really enjoy her process of elimination of suspects and discovering motives for these crimes.

Murder at the Loch is an absorbing and entertaining mystery with an atmospheric setting and fantastic character development. Whenever a crime story takes place in a small village in the Highlands, I can’t wait to get my hands on the book. I love stories such as this one and Dee MacDonald certainly knows how to weave a captivating mystery. I will be on the lookout for more stories by this author.

My thanks to the publishers for providing me a review copy through NetGalley.

Stephanie

Reader’s Log 037: Upcoming Reads

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I tend to read multiple books at once due to my moods, what I’m studying or what I’m reading for pleasure. I know many say they can’t read like that but I’ve been able to do so for a long time now. Look at it this way, people usually watch multiple tv shows on a weekly basis and are able to keep up with the plots and characters without any problems. Taking notes or talking with a friend about what you’re reading is a good idea. I also like to go back a few pages sometimes to immerse myself back into the story. That said, if I’m really into a story and I don’t want to put it down or can’t wait to get back to it, I will focus on that story before moving on to the next one. I have finished a few books since the last time I blogged about books and I’m hoping to move on to a few books I’ve listed below.

I’ve had, “One Good Thing” by Georgia Hunter in my currently reading pile for quite a while now and haven’t been able to finish it. For some reason, I’m just not able to get into the story. Perhaps it is because I’ve read so many World War II stories and I’m experiencing burnout. That has happened to me before with this theme. I want to give the story a fair critique so I will be putting it aside temporary.

Side note: There are many books I’m using for study that I haven’t blogged about as of yet or I study and reference them on an ongoing basis.  

Stephanie

The Lies They Told by Ellen Marie Wiseman (I have an advance reader’s copy)

Pub Date Jul 29 2025 

In rural 1930s Virginia, a young immigrant mother fights for her dignity and those she loves against America’s rising eugenics movement – when widespread support for policies of prejudice drove imprisonment and forced sterilizations based on class, race, disability, education, and country of origin – in this tragic and uplifting novel of social injustice, survival, and hope for readers of Susan Meissner, Kristin Hannah, and Christina Baker Kline.

When Lena Conti—a young, unwed mother—sees immigrant families being forcibly separated on Ellis Island, she vows not to let the officers take her two-year old daughter. But the inspection process is more rigorous than she imagined, and she is separated from her mother and teenage brother, who are labeled burdens to society, denied entry, and deported back to Germany. Now, alone but determined to give her daughter a better life after years of living in poverty and near starvation, she finds herself facing a future unlike anything she had envisioned.

Silas Wolfe, a widowed family relative, reluctantly brings Lena and her daughter to his weathered cabin in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains to care for his home and children. Though the hills around Wolfe Hollow remind Lena of her homeland, she struggles to adjust. Worse, she is stunned to learn the children in her care have been taught to hide when the sheriff comes around. As Lena meets their neighbors, she realizes the community is vibrant and tight knit, but also senses growing unease. The State of Virginia is scheming to paint them as ignorant, immoral, and backwards so they can evict them from their land, seize children from parents, and deal with those possessing “inferior genes.”

After a social worker from the Eugenics Office accuses Lena of promiscuity and feeblemindedness, her own worst fears come true. Sent to the Virginia State Colony for the Feebleminded and Epileptics, Lena face impossible choices in hopes of reuniting with her daughter—and protecting the people, and the land, she has grown to love.

Children of the Book: A Memoir of Reading Together by Ilana Kurshan (I have an advance reader’s copy)

Pub Date Aug 26 2025

In Children of the Book, Ilana Kurshan explores the closeness forged when family life unfolds against a backdrop of reading together. Kurshan, a mother of five living in Jerusalem, at first struggles to balance her passion for literature with her responsibilities as a parent. Gradually she learns how to relate to reading not as a solitary pursuit and an escape from the messiness of life, but rather as a way of teaching independence and forging connection. Introducing her children to sacred and secular literature—including the beloved classics of her childhood—helps her become both a better mother and a better reader.

Chief among the books Kurshan reads with her children is the Five Books of Moses, known as the Torah, which Jews the world over read in synchrony as part of the liturgical cycle. In the five parts of this memoir, Kurshan explores the surprising resonances between the biblical text and her experiences as a mother and a reader – from the first picture books that create the world through language for little babies, to the moment our children begin reading on their own leaving us behind, atop the mountain, as they enter new lands without us. A testament to the enduring power of shared texts, Children of the Book celebrates the deep pleasures of books.

The Dark Library by Mary Anna Evans (I have an advance reader’s copy)

Pub Date Jun 24 2025

Estella Ecker has returned to Rockfall House, the last place on earth she wants to be. Years after she ran away from her overbearing father, she has been forced back home to walk in his footsteps, teaching at the college he dominated and living in the fabulous home where he entertained artists and scholars for decades—and perhaps she owns it now, because her mercurial mother has disappeared. At the center of everything—the whispers, the rumors, the secrets—is her father’s library of rare books, which she had been forbidden to touch while he was alive to stop her.

Everyone in town is watching Estella, with her dead father’s name on their lips, and no one seems to care about her missing mother. Who were her parents, really, and is the answer hidden somewhere in the depths of Rockfall House? And who will Estella be, if she gathers enough courage to find that answer? What she will discover is that no one can escape the secrets hidden in this dark library.

Suspenseful and unsettling but ultimately triumphant, The Dark Library by acclaimed author Mary Anna Evans is a compelling tale of mystery, family secrets, and the quest for truth.

Book Review: Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd

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Nora Breen Investigates #1

Publish Date:  April 8, 2025 by Atria Books

Description:

I believe every one of us at Gulls Nest is concealing some kind of secret.

1954: When her former novice’s dependable letters stop,Nora Breen asks to be released from her vows. Haunted by a line in Frieda’s letter, Nora arrives at Gulls Nest, a charming hotel in Gore-on-Sea in Kent.

A seaside town, a place of fresh air and relaxed constraints, is the perfect place for a new start. Nora hides her identity and pries into the lives of her fellow guests. But when a series of bizarre murders rattles the occupants of Gulls Nest it’s time to ask if a dark past can ever really be left behind.

My thoughts:

Nora Breen certainly left no stone unturned in her search in finding a murderer and to discover what happened to her friend Frieda. She is a woman of sheer tenacity and grit which makes for a fantastic investigator.

This is the first book I’ve read written by Jess Kidd and I enjoyed her writing style, character development and the way she weaves a mystery.

The occupants at Gore-on-Sea were intriguing, secretive, baffling, corky, and at times I just wanted to shake them and at the same time to sit down with them, have a lovely cup of coffee or tea and a nice chat. That is if I know who is making the coffee or tea.

The mystery surrounding the murders and disappearance of Nora’s friend, Freida was well plotted and with all the right twist and turns. I look forward to reading the book in this series!

I rated this book three stars.

Stephanie

I obtained an ARC from the publishers through NetGalley for an honest review.

Book Review: The Last Room on the Left by Leah Konen

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Expected publication January 14, 2025, by G.P. Putnam’s Sons

The Last Room on the Left is a darkly woven philological thriller that takes place in the mountains of the Catskills in New York during the winter and presents the reader with an immensely isolated, and claustrophobic setting.

The story is told in Kerry’s, Siobhan’s, and Allison’s point of view. Kerry- whose husband has left her because of her drinking problems and Kerry needing to finish writing a book due to a deadline- takes a job as caretaker at a motel. When she arrives, almost immediately, bizarre and creepy things start to happen. Not only that, she also discovers a dead and frozen body in the snow, and the mystery of who the victim is and what happened, begins to take shape, and unfold in the most astonishing way.

The reader quickly begins to doubt Kerry’s perspective due to alcohol and pills in the mix. As the story further escalates, all three of the women end up heavily drinking while emotions are running high. This highly charged element makes an interesting mix of dysfunction and drama among them to say the least.

The whole “feminist take on The Shining” by Stephen King mention as a “praiseworthy” comparison in the description of this book is quite a stretch. I did not see any sense of true feminism in this story whatsoever. If anything, there are few thoughts on two of the white males from two of the female’s perspective that are straight up assumptions at best. Not sure what Konen was trying to achieve with this. As for the comparison to “The Shining”, it isn’t in the least bit like it. There are literally zero supernatural elements, nor are the characters going totally mental in this story. Harsh, I know, but it is too glaring for me not to point out.

Despite my criticisms, Konen is a great storyteller, and I enjoyed this fast pace physiological thriller. There are a lot of twists and turns that leave the reader guessing as to what is really going on and there is suspense in all the right places. Everyone is a suspect and Konen did a terrific job in portraying that. An atmospheric, chilling and a perfect read to hunker down with during the winter season. 

I’ve rated this book 3 stars.

Stephanie

I obtained an ARC from the Publishers for an honest review. 

Side bar: In the beginning of November of last year, I blogged about differentiating between red herrings and explicit content for shock value or book sales in mystery-thrillers. I use this book as an example. You may want to check it out for further information about my thoughts on this book: Link HERE or you can search the title of the post:  Reader’s Log 023: Current Read and Difficult Passages

Book description from goodreads:

The caretaker at an isolated mountain hotel finds herself fighting for her life—and sanity—in this “twisty, addictive, feminist take on The Shining” (Andrea Bartz).

Kerry’s life is in shambles: Her husband has left her, her drinking habit has officially become a problem, and though the deadline for her big book deal—the one that was supposed to change everything—is looming, she can’t write a word. When she sees an ad for a caretaker position at a revitalized roadside motel in the Catskills, she jumps at the chance. It’s the perfect getaway to finish her book and start fresh.

But as she hunkers down in a blizzard, she spots something through the window: a pale arm peeking out from a heap of snow. Trapped in the mountains and alone with a dead, frozen body, Kerry must keep her head and make it out before the killer comes for her too. But is the deadly game of cat-and-mouse all in her mind? The body count begs to differ . . .