The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
Simon & Schuster
pub November 2019
library loan

Be careful who you let in.
Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am.
She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them.
Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone.
In The Family Upstairs, the master of “bone-chilling suspense” (People) brings us the can’t-look-away story of three entangled families living in a house with the darkest of secrets.

I borrowed this book from the library as for some reason I did not meet the criteria to receive an eGalley from NetGalley from Simon and Schuster pre-publication. It must be because I am not one of those gushy 'oh quote me for a blurb please' type of bloggers, so screw you all, I am still reviewing this damn book! Just to throw it in your face for declining my request to review this on netgalley I really want to say I hated this book but I can't, for Lisa Jewell is very good at what she does. She is a wonderful gothic-esque suspense writer and The Family Upstairs is a solid four star read, so take that Simon and Schuster morons who didn't want me to review this book. 😘

I really loved Libby's character and learning her family's secrets slowly.. the suspense/mystery angle was well played out and I didn't exactly know all the connections of the characters though there was certainly an aura that something more was happening under the covers. I really loved the way the plot filled itself out as it was indeed like one more cover lifted, then another till we reach the end.  There were several ways the whole thing could've played out and the ultimate finale was very well done and satisfied my need for closure with a twist.

The other Lisa Jewell book I read was Then She Was Gone, which was a five star read. Check that out here on Goodreads. I think I will be looking for more Lisa Jewell reads as Ruth Ware has totally made me ban her because of her lame ways of closing out her own suspense/thrillers.


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Light from Distant Stars by Shawn Smucker
Revell/Baker Publishing July 16 2019
Christian/Suspense
review copy provided by the publisher, thank you!

When Cohen Marah steps over his father's body in the basement embalming room of the family's funeral home, he has no idea that he is stepping into a labyrinth of memory. As the last one to see his father, Cohen is the primary suspect.

Over the next week, Cohen's childhood memories come back in living color. The dramatic events that led to his father being asked to leave his pastoral position. The game of baseball that somehow kept them together. And the two children in the forest who became his friends--and enlisted him in a dark and dangerous undertaking. As the lines blur between what was real and what was imaginary, Cohen is faced with the question he's been avoiding: Did he kill his father?

In Light from Distant Stars, master story weaver Shawn Smucker relays a tale both eerie and enchanting, one that will have you questioning reality and reaching out for what is true, good, and genuine.

There was a review I read on another book but the same publisher that complained they did not realize it was a book that referenced 'god'. Let it be known that Revell is a publisher that brings us stories with a faith based theme. Sometimes it is not very prevalent but Shawn Smucker's Light From Distant Stars does not shy from the faith speak/God talk from page one. You will not like this novel if this scares you. I pretty much love everything from this publisher, so I chose Light from Distant Stars by Shawn Smucker as our neighborhood book club read since I planned on reading it anyway this summer. Then I start reading .. and immediately start wondering if my book clubbers are going to be annoyed at the faith aspect. (Which points to so many other issues such as my insecurities, the reality that it is not cool to love and honor God etc.) So ..yes.. I am a little scared to find out what the other reactions are when the book club meeting comes along.

Shawn Smucker's previous novels were more of a young adult genre and Light From Distant Stars is marketed towards adult yet given the actual plot line I can see where it would be hard to differentiate between the two markets. The novel is told from Cohen's viewpoint but alternating between two time periods in his life where each period has a momentous event occurring. What was most impressive about these shifts in narration is how they were seamless; each chapter another layer is unveiled and the symbolism reveals itself slowly but also quite magnificently can be interpreted in several ways. There is a saying that no two persons ever reads the same book and this book can be the phrase's poster child.

As the synopsis states, Cohen may or may not be responsible for his father's death. And I thought the book would be about who killed his dad but that is definitely not what this book is about. It is about how Cohen comes to terms with his parent's divorce, betrayal of why that happened many years ago, possible depression, insanity or anxiety, shadows, beasts, light, darkness.. and how he comes to grips with the reality of his life. One of my favorite aspects of the novel is the graphic page that introduces a new part of the book and it quotes a line from Genesis. The other favorite part is the seemingly effortless way of writing put forth by Shawn Smucker.

"The waters are separating. The waters of the sky are blowing away in the wind and the waters of the earth lay before him, and he walks through them to the church and up the sidewalk ramp. The door is unlocked."

 And since I was raised Catholic, I can totally appreciate the confessional scenes. The Lord has put away all your sins. Thanks be to God. While this novel did not end up being what I expected, I am pleased to say that I really enjoyed this character driven novel and should bring up some interesting topics at book club!

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Living Lies (Harbored Secrets #1) by Natalie Walters
Revell/Baker Publishers May 21 2019
338 pages, Christian Suspense
review copy from the publisher, thank you!

In the little town of Walton, Georgia, everybody knows your name--but no one knows your secret. At least that's what Lane Kent is counting on when she returns to her hometown with her five-year-old son. Dangerously depressed after the death of her husband, Lane is looking for hope. What she finds instead is a dead body.

Lane must work with Walton's newest deputy, Charlie Lynch, to uncover the truth behind the murder. But when that truth hits too close to home, she'll have to decide if saving the life of another is worth the cost of revealing her darkest secret.

Debut novelist Natalie Walters pulls you to the edge of your seat on the first page and keeps you there until the last in this riveting story that will have you believing no one is defined by their past.

This is a realistically paced suspense novel that focuses on a bit of a taboo subject of depression. When the synopsis alludes to a dark secret it is really not that thrilling but it is yet still an important topic. The main character Lane stumbles upon a dead body of a young girl pretty much as soon as she returns to the small town where she is from; just when she is struggling to keep her head above water she is thrust into this investigation of the murdered girl. She makes friends with the new deputy in town so there is a bit of romance going on as the investigation progresses.

The novel evokes the chill/creepy factor very well as there are evil undercurrents throughout the story, and we don't know everything that is going to happen. Along with the well-plotted suspense, Living Lies is also a charming story as we see the desperately needed support is finally given to Lane's mental health. I wish there were a way we could get some more stories out there that show mental health stability is something we should all be offering to our loved ones and not treat it as someone else's problem to bear; maybe there would be less tragedy in all our lives if more awareness and steps towards healing are offered.

I am intrigued enough to see what book 2 is going to be about as this is marketed as a series. A very well done debut novel for Natalie Walters.


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Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok
William Morrow, June 6 2019
eGalley provided by the publisher, thank you!

My review of other Jean Kwok books:
Girl In Translation
Mambo In Chinatown

A poignant and suspenseful drama that untangles the complicated ties binding three women—two sisters and their mother—in one Chinese immigrant family and explores what happens when the eldest daughter disappears, and a series of family secrets emerge, from the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Translation
It begins with a mystery. Sylvie, the beautiful, brilliant, successful older daughter of the Lee family, flies to the Netherlands for one final visit with her dying grandmother—and then vanishes.

Amy, the sheltered baby of the Lee family, is too young to remember a time when her parents were newly immigrated and too poor to keep Sylvie. Seven years older, Sylvie was raised by a distant relative in a faraway, foreign place, and didn’t rejoin her family in America until age nine. Timid and shy, Amy has always looked up to her sister, the fierce and fearless protector who showered her with unconditional love.

But what happened to Sylvie? Amy and her parents are distraught and desperate for answers. Sylvie has always looked out for them. Now, it’s Amy’s turn to help. Terrified yet determined, Amy retraces her sister’s movements, flying to the last place Sylvie was seen. But instead of simple answers, she discovers something much more valuable: the truth. Sylvie, the golden girl, kept painful secrets . . . secrets that will reveal more about Amy’s complicated family—and herself—than she ever could have imagined.

A deeply moving story of family, secrets, identity, and longing, Searching for Sylvie Lee is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive portrait of an immigrant family. It is a profound exploration of the many ways culture and language can divide us and the impossibility of ever truly knowing someone—especially those we love.

I have been a fangirl of Jean Kwok's writing since her 2010 release of Girl in Translation and I was so eager to read this third novel of hers. The author has quite a unique voice for storytelling and you can tell her words come directly from the heart. This novel is a beautifully complex blend of passion, heartache, prejudice and loss.

The broad theme of this novel is to solve the mystery as Amy is searching for her missing sister but in reality the reader is taken on a journey of the heart of the characters of Amy's family. Sylvie was always on a pedestal once she returned to Amy's family in New York but when Sylvie is compelled to return to the Netherlands to be with her dying grandmother she disappears soon after. Amy is forced to overcome her own insecurities to begin the quest for Sylvie. Traveling to the Netherlands Amy meets the family where Sylvie was raised and discovers so much more about her sister. Amy is confused as to why there is so much animosity towards her sister from the family who were supposed to love her like one of their own. Slowly secrets are unraveled as the narration switches between the characters as well as different time frames so that the veil of the mystery is being slowly lifted for the reader. Nuances of guilt and dishonor come to light as the family is forced to face the reality of what should of been foreseen long ago with Sylvie. The sins of the mother are visited upon the daughter and wounds are laid open to bleed with little hope of healing the wound. The lessons that are given through the character studies are worthy of us all and points us in the right direction of respecting values and embracing flaws. "If you were born a dime, you would never become a quarter."

Searching for Sylvie Lee is a hypnotizing story that will pull you in from the beginning. I especially loved the way the voices changed from each character's point of view, and I can both appreciate and envy Jean Kwok's gift for saying so much within a sentence.

Favorite quotes:
"This was how the mind worked, deceiving us so we could bear the many sorrows of life."
"But he has only taught me that in these modern times, the distinction between hero and villain was often in the eye of the beholder."


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Layover by David Bell
Berkley Publishing Group, July 2 2019
Mystery & Thrillers
Review Copy via NetGalley

In this high concept psychological suspense novel from the USA Today bestselling author of Somebody’s Daughter, a chance meeting with a woman in an airport sends a man on a pulse-pounding quest for the truth.

Joshua Fields takes the same flights every week for work, his life a series of departures and arrivals, hotels and airports. During yet another layover, he meets Morgan, a beautiful stranger with whom he feels an immediate connection. When it’s time for their respective flights, Morgan kisses Joshua passionately, lamenting that they’ll never see each other again.

As soon as Morgan disappears in the crowd, Joshua is shocked to see her face on a nearby TV. The reason: Morgan is a missing person.

What follows is a whirlwind, fast-paced journey filled with lies, deceit, and secrets as Joshua tries to discover why Morgan has vanished from her own life. Every time he thinks one mystery is solved, another rears its head—and his worst enemy might be his own assumptions about those around him.

Review of Somebody's Daughter by David Bell can be found here.

I am enjoying the suspense/thriller genre over the past few years because they aren't supposed to put me to sleep with facts and minutia, but this one was a little more wordy with a lot less suspense. Maybe that is what "high concept" means in the blurb, I am not sure. This story was about a chance meeting at an airport between a totally boring dude who is completely bored with life in general and meets a mysterious girl with a floppy hat in an airport. He becomes a creeper and stalks her and feels like one good kiss means he should ignore the very important business meeting he is supposed to go to with his boring dad and follow this girl from the bathroom to a different flight. She tells him to get the heck away from her and yet he still continues to follow her around.

If you ignore the fact that none of this would happen in real life then you can try and appreciate the other narrative of the detective in charge of tracking down the same person that is the creepy guy's new love interest. Turns out Morgan is a missing girl possibly responsible for the disappearance of her ex-boss and now the creepy dude doesn't know if she is a good person or a bad person or just really good in bed.

All in all, an interesting plot but personally I find it hard to "care" when the characters themselves do not offer any reason for me to root for them. There was no real reason for me to like boring dude, or the person of interest Morgan, and there was not a whole lot from the detective except to hope she gets to see her kid's soccer match someday. If you are on a layover and need a quick read, this one is great for that. Plenty of concourse and terminals for your pleasure.

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The Poison Thread: A Novel by Laura Purcell
Penguin Books, June 18 2019
Historical Fictions, suspense/Gothic
Review copy via NetGalley

A thrilling Victorian gothic horror tale about a young seamstress who claims her needle and thread have the power to kill
Dorothea Truelove is young, wealthy, and beautiful. Ruth Butterham is young, poor, and awaiting trial for murder.
When Dorothea's charitable work brings her to Oakgate Prison, she is delighted by the chance to explore her fascination with phrenology and test her hypothesis that the shape of a person's skull can cast a light on their darkest crimes. But when she meets one of the prisoners, the teenaged seamstress Ruth, she is faced with another strange idea: that it is possible to kill with a needle and thread--because Ruth attributes her crimes to a supernatural power inherent in her stitches.
The story Ruth has to tell of her deadly creations--of bitterness and betrayal, of death and dresses--will shake Dorothea's belief in rationality, and the power of redemption. Can Ruth be trusted? Is she mad, or a murderer? The Poison Thread is a spine-tingling, sinister read about the evil that lurks behind the facade of innocence.

My review of The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell can be found here.

I can't say no to a Victorian Gothic tale and I really enjoyed this author's previous novel The Silent Companions. The Poison Thread is the US edition of an already released UK edition titled The Corset which I will never understand why there has to be months between these releases and confusing everyone in the world wide web of different titles etc.

The premise of this story from Dorothea's point of view is that the shape of someone's head, phrenology, dictates a person's moral character. Which is horse pooey and a slightly annoying theme to this story but does well to underscore the psychological suspense. And the creepier theme is that Ruth, who is now a prisoner, believes she is able to harm people by infusing powerful thoughts while sewing something for a specific person. Everything she stitches has become some sort of poison to its wearer and eventually Ruth is put in jail for causing such harm to others. This is how Dorothea and Ruth meet, because Dorothea is measuring Ruth's skull as part of the phrenology research otherwise their two social castes would never have crossed.

There are several running side stories as the narrative goes back and forth making a true page turner as you never really know what is going to happen next. Each character is flawed and yet somehow likeable, and I really appreciated the nuances of the era that really set the tone throughout this novel that is a borderline horror story. The author has a wonderful knack for the historical suspense and I am looking forward to what flows next from her pen!


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The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald
Gallery Books February 5th
eBook library borrow

In the vein of Big Little Lies and Reconstructing Amelia comes an emotionally charged domestic suspense novel about a mother unraveling the truth behind how her daughter became brain dead. And pregnant.
A search for the truth. A lifetime of lies.
In the small hours of the morning, Abi Knight is startled awake by the phone call no mother ever wants to get: her teenage daughter Olivia has fallen off a bridge. Not only is Olivia brain dead, she’s pregnant and must remain on life support to keep her baby alive. And then Abi sees the angry bruises circling Olivia’s wrists.
When the police unexpectedly rule Olivia’s fall an accident, Abi decides to find out what really happened that night. Heartbroken and grieving, she unravels the threads of her daughter’s life. Was Olivia’s fall an accident? Or something far more sinister?
Christina McDonald weaves a suspenseful and heartwrenching tale of hidden relationships, devastating lies, and the power of a mother’s love. With flashbacks of Olivia’s own resolve to uncover family secrets, this taut and emotional novel asks: how well do you know your children? And how well do they know you?

I read The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald in about a day and rated it five stars. It is a very intriguing story of a mother in search for answers for what happened the night her daughter Olivia fell from a bridge. The narrative shifts between Abi and Olivia as we slowly are revealed the events of Olivia's teenaged life and we discover secrets and relationships of Olivia's the same time that her mom Abi does. There are tons of things that can be hidden from a mother and yet in this story it keeps coming and coming and it is hard to tell who pushed Olivia off a bridge. Olivia is actually on life support because she can still be the womb for the child she is carrying; what happens to the baby? Very emotive and tissue worthy.

I devoured this story and really appreciated the plot twists .. spoiler free review therefore I will have to stop here. Great book, if you like suspense and quick reads with complex themes, this will work well!



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She Lies in Wait by Gytha Lodge
Random House Publishing Group, January 2019
General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers
Review copy via NetGalley

Six friends. One killer. Who do you trust? A teen girl is missing after a night of partying; thirty years later, the discovery of her body reopens a cold case in an absorbing novel featuring a small-town cop determined to finally get to the truth—for fans of Tana French and Kate Atkinson.

On a scorching July night in 1983, a group of teenagers goes camping in the forest. Bright and brilliant, they are destined for great things, and the youngest of the group—Aurora Jackson—is delighted to be allowed to tag along. The evening starts like any other—they drink, they dance, they fight, they kiss. Some of them slip off into the woods in pairs, others are left jealous and heartbroken. But by morning, Aurora has disappeared. Her friends claim that she was safe the last time they saw her, right before she went to sleep. An exhaustive investigation is launched, but no trace of the teenager is ever found.

Thirty years later, Aurora’s body is unearthed in a hideaway that only the six friends knew about, and Jonah Sheens is put in charge of solving the long-cold case. Back in 1983, as a young cop in their small town, he had known the teenagers—including Aurora—personally, even before taking part in the search. Now he’s determined to finally get to the truth of what happened that night. Sheens’s investigation brings the members of the camping party back to the forest, where they will be confronted once again with the events that left one of them dead, and all of them profoundly changed forever.
This searing, psychologically captivating novel marks the arrival of a dazzling new talent, and the start of a new series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Jonah Sheens.

I've always been a fan of the crime shows from anything like Law & Order to Murder She Wrote and I figure myself a pretty keen judge of character and can figure out angles of mysteries fairly quickly. This novel is definitely one that kept me guessing even though the obvious fact is that the murderer had to be one of the six friends who were camping with Aurora when she had died. The fact that this was a cold case adds a whole new level of fact checking thirty years later and determining what a motive could be to murder the ethereal young beauty that Aurora was.

There are many characters to set up this mystery whose traits were revealed slowly throughout the novel which helped draw out the suspense. There were nuances of foul play between all the friends, and then add in those who knew the friends and weave in possible corruption of the police to a cover up at a higher level at the school that all sets up a captivating web of leads to follow.

 I appreciated the level of attention given to all the suspects and enjoyed learning more about the detectives themselves, setting up background for another novel in the author's future featuring the group headed by Jonah Sheens (which is assumed will occur based upon the Goodreads' subtitle). The setting in Scotland adds another check mark of a cool setting to the overall effort that was very well done for a debut writer and this one even made me tear up!




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A Dangerous Collaboration (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery Book 4) by Deanna Raybourn
Berkley Publishing Group, March 12 2019
Review copy via NetGalley, thank you!

A bride mysteriously disappears on her wedding day in the newest Veronica Speedwell adventure by the New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Julia Grey series.

Lured by the promise of a rare and elusive butterfly, the intrepid Veronica Speedwell is persuaded by Lord Templeton-Vane, the brother of her colleague Stoker, to pose as his fiancée at a house party on a Cornish isle owned by his oldest friend, Malcolm Romilly.

But Veronica soon learns that one question hangs over the party: What happened to Rosamund? Three years ago, Malcolm Romilly’s bride vanished on their wedding day, and no trace of her has ever been found. Now those who were closest to her have gathered, each a possible suspect in her disappearance.

From the poison garden kept by Malcolm’s sister to the high towers of the family castle, the island’s atmosphere is full of shadows, and danger lurks around every corner.

Determined to discover Rosamund’s fate, Veronica and Stoker match wits with a murderer who has already struck once and will not hesitate to kill again.…

I have read a few of Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey titles but this is my first Veronica Speedwell novel. I knew I would be able to jump right into this book four as they are styled as stand-alones. I would love to go back to read the rest of the titles by Raybourn but there is just so much time in my day that I will settle with a current read so that I may offer a review.

The series features a spunky heroine who enjoys being a woman ahead of her time and not caring that she is fast approaching spinsterhood. This book opens up to Veronica and Stoker on a bit of a tightrope between friends and romance and they don't know quite how to handle that. Meanwhile they are set off on an adventure to a castle complete with ghosts and tall tales when they are tasked with finding out what why a friend's bride had disappeared on their wedding day three years prior.

The setting was one of the better characters of the novel, featuring deadly gardens, hidden priest holes and woeful little islands. The supporting cast of the devoted housekeeper, various family members and the cat help to add confusion to the mystery at hand.

The murder/disappearance of Rosamund was intriguing and I didn't have it all figured out though just slightly grasped at the possibility of of her demise. I enjoyed the banter of the two brothers who were Veronica's traveling companions but certainly hope the next book would finally address the romance of Veronica and Stoker. Overall it was an enjoyable experience for someone stepping into the middle of the series and engaging for a cozy mystery.


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The Other Woman by Sandie Jones
Publisher: Minotaur Books August 21, 2018
Review copy from publisher, thank you!

A deliciously disturbing, compulsively readable debut domestic suspense--prepare to meet The Other Woman: there’s nothing she won’t do to keep you away from her son ...

Emily thinks Adam’s perfect; the man she thought she’d never meet. But lurking in the shadows is a rival; a woman who shares a deep bond with the man she loves.

Emily chose Adam, but she didn’t choose his mother Pammie. There’s nothing a mother wouldn’t do for her son, and now Emily is about to find out just how far Pammie will go to get what she wants: Emily gone forever.

The Other Woman is an addictive, fast-paced psychological thriller about the destructive relationship between Emily, her boyfriend Adam, and his manipulative mother Pammie.

When I first read the blurb for this novel I was already thinking it was another girl after her man, but it is really about a psychopathically over protective mom. Everything that Emily does just perturbs the heck out of the mom-in-law-to-be, but Adam doesn't ever witness any of the sabotage that his mom does to his girlfriend. It is a basic storyline that builds up to a diabolic ending ~ another fast yet suspenseful read that really helped get me out of the reading slump after some tedious books. I stayed up late one night so I finished it within 24 hours :0

This is a book that really helped boost the number of books read for the Goodreads reading challenge, as of now I am at number 32!



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Her Pretty Face by Robyn Harding
352 pages Gallery/Scout Press (July 10, 2018)
review copy via Goodreads giveaway

The author of the bestselling novel The Party—lauded as “tense and riveting” by New York Times bestselling author Megan Miranda—returns with a chilling new domestic drama about two women whose deep friendship is threatened by dark, long-buried secrets.

Frances Metcalfe is struggling to stay afloat.

A stay-at-home mom whose troubled son is her full-time job, she thought that the day he got accepted into the elite Forrester Academy would be the day she started living her life. Overweight, insecure, and lonely, she is desperate to fit into Forrester’s world. But after a disturbing incident at the school leads the other children and their families to ostracize the Metcalfes, she feels more alone than ever before.

Until she meets Kate Randolph.

Kate is everything Frances is not: beautiful, wealthy, powerful, and confident. And for some reason, she’s not interested in being friends with any of the other Forrester moms—only Frances. As the two bond over their disdain of the Forrester snobs and the fierce love they have for their sons, a startling secret threatens to tear them apart.

Because one of these women is not who she seems. Her real name is Amber Kunik. And she’s a murderer.

In her masterful follow-up to The Party, Robyn Harding spins a web of lies, deceit, and betrayal, asking the question: Can people ever change? And even if they can, is it possible to forgive the past?

I won this one via Goodreads so I put it on my to-review list of reads for the summer and it did the trick as a interesting but quick read. Read in one day it was an intriguing storyline with multiple points of view. The main character Frances just wants to belong in a world of catty moms and loves that the beautiful newcomer Kate pays attention to her. Two families become intertwined as their children become close friends, and then the parents.

The summary does not set the tone properly as it feels like it is more of a dark creepy read channeling the undertone of a Law & Order SUV episode as we try and decipher all the deep dark secrets everyone seems to have. When Kate's daughter doesn't mind meeting up with a stalker things get exciting and the secrets start to reveal themselves and then Frances is scared for her life when she discovers how twisted Kate really is. But is she really twisted or was her past transgressions just a mistake? Can she change? Who can Frances trust? Can Kate be forgiven for things she has done years ago? Good storyline, quick read recommended to fans of the suspense genre.


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Lies by T M Logan
Published September 11 2018 St. Martin's Press MacMillan
review copy provided by the publisher, thank you!

What if you have the perfect life, the perfect wife and the perfect child--then, in one shattering moment, you discover nothing is as it seems? Now you are in the sights of a ruthless killer determined to destroy everything you treasure.

It's the evening drive home from work on a route Joe Lynch has taken a hundred times with his young son. But today, Joe sees his wife meet another man--an encounter that will rip two families apart. Raising the question: Can we ever really trust those closest to us?
Joe will do whatever it takes to protect his family, but as the deception unravels, so does his life. A life played out without any rules. And a cunning opponent who's always one step ahead.
T. M. Logan's Lies is an unputdownable thriller that will keep readers guessing until the jaw-dropping finale.

This was a well-written thriller that kept me guessing until the end. When Joe Lynch happened to see his wife where she was unexpected, things unravel all around him and his mundane life of being a teacher is never the same. He suspects his wife of cheating on him but doesn't have real proof and one confrontation with her supposed boyfriend spins completely out of control and social media wreaks havoc on his life.

Aptly titled Lies there is no way to know if the wife is telling the truth and the reader has no idea either. Joe follows along on a path of one mistake to another however as the boyfriend disappears but yet continues to contact Joe. Then Joe is suspected of murdering the boyfriend. With a small cast of characters it is pretty easy to think you know what is going on behind the scenes but the story unravels slowly until the surprise at the end that was wicked but amazingly fun.

An intriguing read and I am looking forward to the next book from T.M Logan.


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The Boy at the Door by Alex Dahl
Berkley Publishing Group, July 24 2018
review copy via NetGalley

Set against a stunning Scandinavian backdrop, a gritty novel of psychological suspense that asks the question how far would you go to hold onto what you have?

Cecilia Wilborg has it all--a loving husband, two beautiful daughters and a gorgeous home in the affluent Norwegian town of Sandefjord. And she works hard to keep it all together. Too hard. Because one mistake from her past could bring it all crashing down around her.

Annika Lucasson lives a dark life with her abusive, drug-dealing boyfriend. She's lost everything one too many times and now she's got one last chance to save herself, thanks to Cecilia. Annika knows her secret--and just how much she's willing to do to make it all go away...

When someone forgets to pick up their little boy at the local pool, Cecilia agrees to take him home, only to find an abandoned, empty house. It's the first step in the unraveling of her meticulously crafted life, as her and Annika's worlds collide...

The Boy At The Door is such an intriguing read that makes it hard to categorize. Marketed as a thriller it's more of a psychological twisted read as we try and figure out if Cecelia is really bonkers or not. The theme is centered on the fact that absolutely nothing may be out of place in Cecelia's idyllic life in Norway as she lives a farce of happiness as a rich wife and mom in Norway. Her zeal for perfection is thwarted as she finds herself as a temporary guardian of a small boy who seemingly appears out of nowhere.

Upsetting Cecelia's natural order of things she copes through alcohol and medicinal concoctions and yet she is still losing control of the changes this boy brings to her family life. Small fractures in her perfection are actual beginnings of an earthquake and questions how far will one lady go to promote herself in the ideal image?

And then we sit back and wonder -who the heck is this boy? And why is Cecelia freaking out when she is questioned about her relationships to those she and the boy both know? And is society so fickle as to not allow a person's past be forgiven if it was hidden?

I really enjoyed the novel and the meandering way we eventually tie it all together. A story that will keep you guessing till the very end!

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Somebody's Daughter by David Bell
Berkley Publishing Group/New American Library, July 10 2018
Psychological suspense/Thriller
Review copy via NetGalley, thank you!
My review of author's work Somebody I Used to Know by David Bell (2015, 5 stars)

In this pulse-pounding novel of psychological suspense from the USA Today bestselling author of Bring Her Home and Since She Went Away, a man must save the life of a little girl who just might be his daughter....

When Michael Frazier's ex-wife, Erica, unexpectedly shows up on his doorstep, she drops a bombshell that threatens to rip his family apart: Her ten-year-old daughter is missing--and Michael is the father. Unsure whether this is the truth but unwilling to leave the girl's fate to chance, Michael has no choice but to follow the elusive trail of the child he has always wanted but never knew he had.

After Michael departs, his wife, Angela, learns shocking news about Erica and fears for the safety of both her husband and the endangered girl. When a stranger, a man who claims a connection to Erica and her missing daughter, knocks on the door, Angela is drawn out into the night--and deep into the tangled web of Michael's past....

Over the course of one night, lies that span a decade come bubbling to the surface, putting Michael, his wife, and his whole family in jeopardy. And as the window for a little girl's safe return closes, Michael will have to decide who can be trusted and who is hiding the truth....

I really enjoyed reading David Bell's novel in 2015 (my review of Somebody I Used To Know) and I was eager to see what 2018 brought with the novelist's first hardcover published. Full of twist and turns, Somebody's Daughter does not disappoint as one night unfolds for over 400 pages. Isn't that crazy?! I thought that was wild, and it was so well done I had not even noticed that until I started writing this review.

The story revolves around that of a young girl's disappearance. On the outside it looks that Michael and Angela Frazier are living their perfect life with their perfect house and their squeaky-clean routines until the ex-wife shows up asking for help about her missing daughter. At that point everything Angela thought she knew about Michael goes out the window because this is the first time Angela hears about the existence of the pre-teen daughter Felicity. We kind of sort of don't know if Michael knew about Felicity either as the story progresses so that was a good twist.

 'Who is the bad guy here?' is the obvious thread, and quite surpisingly it could have been the sister, the mom, the ex-wife, the music teacher and the ex-wife's ex-boyfriend. Throw in a babysitter or a neighbor and we've got ourselves a twisted tangle of a hot mess. I loved the fast paced writing and how it truly kept me guessing. The part played by the lead detective was also well written-- so many angles and this is how we get that one crazy night spilling into over 400 pages. Oh and there's a dog, too. Every aspect you expect from a thriller is here for our enjoyment - five stars all the way to the bank.

If you like Ruth Ware, Gillian Flynn, Mary Kubica then add David Bell to your want-to-read list.
The absolute best part is that David Bell has several other titles for me to investigate. Sad though that my local library owns just one. Get with the program, Rockwall!


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These are all books that I have recently enjoyed and wanted to share here as they are worthy of summer binge reading. All of these books but one were personal copies or library loans.

December 2017, 419 pages St Martins Press

While I am not one who followed Nora Roberts specifically but perhaps have read one or two of her books in my lifetime, this book has prompted me to rethink that. This was so darn awesome.
The story-line follows a few threads of people as life as they knew it is over because "They returned the rental car, infecting the clerk and the businessman who rented it next. They infected the porter who took their bags when tips exchanged hands. By the time they reached and passed through security, the infection had passed to an easy two dozen people."
I have discovered that I love me some funky dystopian off the beaten path other type of world stuff and this one has magic(k) and apocalyptic goodness that I am definitely going to re-read before I buy the second book in the series. I have a love-hate relationship with series books because my brain is getting super old and I cannot remember stuff like who was who in the last book and so I cannot just pick right up a year or two later when starting another book in a series because my brain is zapping trying to remember what way was north.
It's a tough thing because when you love a book so much like Year One and you are shattered that the book has ended but then you're like Holy Cheese on A Cracker I Can't Wait For The Next Book Cuz I Am So Glad It's Not Really Over but Damn Just Gimme It Right Now.. you know what I mean. When I finished this one my official recorded thought on Goodreads was:

Mere words cannot express the fluidity of this novel. I am pretty certain but cannot recall if I have read a book by Roberts, but I shall never forget this one.

And so book two is of course on my eagerly awaited hurry up and publish that pie because I am going to devour you and not share the crumbs list. Kleenex worthy reading, too.

When I finished that one I moved on to another fantastic read, thank God, as it's so hard to follow when that one was epic...

February 2018, 512 pages Tyndale

The Masterpiece is the newest release by popular Christian Fiction author Francine Rivers. I have read one of her most popular novels and have been collecting many of her back-list for quite a few years now. This is a story of two people meant to be together but have to go through a lot of soul searching and misunderstandings before the happy ending. The characters were very well-drawn with a story that pulls you in no matter how simple the plot would sound of a he and she fall in love and live happily ever after. He is the famous painter is a recluse with a past that he prefers to stay there yet he has to fight his demons before he can be who he wants to be. She has to learn to trust again after her own train wreck of a life. What I loved about this story the most was how the message reveals itself - we are all His masterpiece created for One Life/One Purpose. Worldly pursuits and pleasures and forgiveness for our sins, the redemption offered, the promise of new life, the gift of love .. and kleenex worthy.

2015 released as 352 page paperback March 2018 edition

This is the one book that I received as a review copy several years ago, but I only got around to reading it when the paperback was chosen as a local book club read recently. I had actually read several other Ruth Ware novels and knew I would enjoy this one as it is the same genre of the psychological thriller suspense type books that she writes so well. I read it in a day. It was a twisty gothic adventure of a tale not meant to be one of those scary keep you up at night reads. Ruth Ware, Mary Kubica, Gillian Flynn all write in this fashion. Ware's newer titles are The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Lying Game which I enjoyed both. Great stories, good plots and intriguing endings.


These are older titles that I got caught up on:

2015 release of book three of All Souls Trilogy

I have a partner in crime for this one as we did a buddy read so it was super fun to explore the world of daemons, witches, vampires and wizards with a fellow nerd. Harkness has written a fantastic series that I really did not think I could enjoy as much as I have. I even used up Mothers Day Wish on the newest release not OF the series but ABOUT the series which is a compendium of sorts which just tells you how awesome the books are when you have people like me begging for a book about a book. I love that I know about familiars and blood-rage now but still a little freaked out about the origin of the Ashmole. I love how some Hist-fic gets thrown in too with this series such as Elizabethan England (Mary Sidney!). There will be yet another book (Time's Convert, September 2018) not technically of the series but a spin-off featuring characters of this series.. OK I see I have lost you, lol



I spotted this one when I was picking up books for my kid at the local library and I couldn't walk away from it. I had loved Code Name Verity back in 2012 and this one can be read as a stand alone. It is about a prisoner of war, an unlikely female pilot who shows amazing tenacity and grit while enduring the Holocaust that people to this day like to pretend did not happen. The story revolves mostly around Ravensbruck, the concentration camp known for housing primarily women.
While in reality there are certain things that happen to Rose that are a bit too unrealistic it does not distract from the overall tone of the story. It's another kleenex worthy read that will have you googling stuff about the sickness of those concentration camps, barrage balloons and doodlebug tipping.

Which of these have you read? And did I peak your interest of any? What's on your Summer Reading Pile? I am looking forward to Susanna Kearsley's newest title Bellewether!

You may need to re-subscribe by the way. No idea what is going on with the mailchimp thing when we had to do the GDPR compliance thing that was such an annoyance. No one won the giveaway since no one entered etc. but unsure if that was because of mailchimp's compliance or because giveaways are lame nowadays. No worries! I turned off commenting long ago on the blog but I welcome comments at the Facebook page here.

A look at the machine of media, politics, and cover-ups

Prophet by Frank E. Peretti
first published 1992, my edition published 2003 Living Books
575 pages
Personal copy
Burton Book Review Rating: 4 stars

Read my review of Peretti's Illusion here

A thriller that penetrates to the very heart of a vast struggle that threatens to tear our society apart. Successful news anchorman John Barrett is caught in a suspenseful moral and spiritual battle over the importance of Truth. Using all the elements of edge-of-your-seat fiction, master storyteller Frank Peretti weaves a prophetic tale of our times.

This is the second Frank Peretti book that I've read and I am now even more looking forward to reading his others from his back list, such as The Visitation, which was made into a movie (of course, the book is way better than the movie). One of the draws to his novels is that most of them are chunky - five hundred plus pages - which means less of an opportunity to rush through the narrative although it could mean a slow start. While Prophet is an older published novel the context is still relevant today as it delivers on a hot topic of abortion using a news anchorman as the medium. The story focuses on how the political bigwigs use their clout to cover up poorly run clinics and how they react to the direct results of deaths of young women due to the shoddy practices at these clinics.

The complex plot features John Barrett and his family and how he is reluctant at first to draw attention to the botched abortion issue due to the fact he is a well respected anchorman and the face of the popular news station. He has bosses to deal with, not to mention forces behind the camera that would rather bury the ugly truth. It is this very 'Truth' that emerges as the major theme, and how it has been ignored and needs to be restored. The title of the book is 'prophet' for a reason and the entire media circus and the facade of political translucency is brought into the open as the story develops. There is a lot going on with several characters but suffice to say that there are plenty of realistic portrayals of several stereotypes of people within our culture, from poor waitresses to doting moms to the thug who is hired to kill people.

While Peretti is not a very prolific author of adult fiction, the eight that he has written thus far are told with a strong voice that weaves his faith and natural storytelling abilities together, giving Peretti the reputation of changing the face of Christian fiction. The plots are intriguing and twisting, and they dare to look deeper to discern the obscured meanings, translating the truth from what is fiction. With over 15 million novels in print, this author is not one to miss if you are looking for a faith based novel with captivating themes surrounding spiritual journeys.

And yes ma'am, this is just another book to add to my personal resolution of 2015 to read my own books, and ban review books. You go, girl.

An awesome page-turner

Somebody I Used To Know by David Bell
New American Library Trade Paperback Original; July 7, 2015; $15.00
448 pages kindle Edition

About the book:

You never forget your first love. And in David Bell’s SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW, Nick Hansen has never really gotten over the death of his college girlfriend, Marissa Minor, some twenty years earlier. He managed to move on, but Marissa’s death in a house fire right before college graduation still haunts him.

One day at the grocery store, Nick receives the shock of his life: he comes face-to-face with a young woman who is the spitting image of Marissa. But when Nick tries to speak to the woman, she drops her basket of groceries and runs out of the store. Unfortunately, the next morning, the police come knocking on Nick’s door. The young woman from the grocery store was found murdered in a hotel and the only clue they have is a slip of paper with Nick’s name and address, which Nick knows nothing about.

Convinced that there's a connection between this young woman's murder and Marissa's death years ago, Nick enlists the help of his college friend, Laurel Davidson, to investigate the events leading up to the night of Marissa's death. Nick needs to clear his name and uncover what really happened to the love of his life. Two decades of deceit, heartbreak, and longing will be swept away, and the truth will be more shocking than he ever could have imagined.

When I was offered this one for review, I took a peek at some of the early reviews -- and I was sold on this one! Many readers said they couldn't go to sleep before finishing this one, it was such a pager-turner. I figured it was a perfect read for a get-away from my normal reads and try something a little different.

I am so glad I did! I did read this in one day-- 448 pages all day on a Sunday, despite the spacing issues the eGalley version showed.  Somebody I Used To Know was definitely a thrilling suspense story that kept me guessing. It centers around Nick and the girlfriend he lost twenty years ago due to a house fire. I won't go into the summary of the story as the synopsis does it nicely enough - plus with suspense and mysteries I don't want to give too much away! There were a lot of characters where that started to get a little much but once everything was set in place there was no turning back.

There were a few themes at work in the novel, from small romantic tones to vengeful evil lurking in every corner where you least expect it. I didn't stop too long to think about solving the mystery on my own due to the many moving parts; I just kept turning the pages and let the story play itself out. Nick was a great character, seemingly a a goody-two shoes with all sorts of bad things that just keep happening to him especially with deceitful characters who kept intersecting his path. There were a few female lead characters to spice things up and throw suspicion about, and of course the crime stopping police detective mucking things up when Nick was just getting some answers.

The writing style was perfectly fluid, never giving me a good chance for a stopping point which is why I never did. Very well done, and I will read more from David Bell when I need a swift thrill to get me out of a reading funk. I definitely would love to see this as a movie.

An unforgettable plotline that pulls you in!

The Devil Walks In Mattingly by Billy Coffey
Purchase a copy: http://ow.ly/ux3hc
Thomas Nelson, March 2014
Contemporary Christian  Suspense
Review copy provided by LitFuse, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating: 4 stars

For the three people tortured by their secret complicity in a young man's untimely death, redemption is what they most long for . . . and the last thing they expect to receive. It has been twenty years since Philip McBride's body was found along the riverbank in the dark woods known as Happy Hollow. His death was ruled a suicide. But three people have carried the truth ever since--Philip didn't kill himself that day. He was murdered.
Each of the three have wilted in the shadow of their sins. Jake Barnett is Mattingly's sheriff, where he spends his days polishing the fragile shell of the man he pretends to be. His wife, Kate, has convinced herself the good she does for the poor will someday wash the blood from her hands. And high in the mountains, Taylor Hathcock lives in seclusion and fear, fueled by madness and hatred. Yet what cannot be laid to rest is bound to rise again. Philip McBride has haunted Jake's dreams for weeks, warning that he is coming back for them all. When Taylor finds mysterious footprints leading from the Hollow, he believes his redemption has come. His actions will plunge the quiet town of Mattingly into darkness. These three will be drawn together for a final confrontation between life and death . . . between truth and lies.

(2018 update: I have since bought several of Billy Coffey's titles after this one! Wonderful author)

Billy Coffey is a new-to-me author and a writer of contemporary fiction which I tend to shy away from. After seeing this novel several times over and being intrigued by the synopsis, once it was offered for review I knew I needed to give it a try. The synopsis itself is full of innuendos and hidden meanings that beg the reader to dig deeper, and the story reads the same way. There is a sinister thing lurking in the midst of the quaint country town of Mattingly, and it seems to come from that place Happy Hollow that no one goes to. That is, if you want to come out alive.

Jake Barnett and his wife Kate are pinnacles of country society all the while trying to make up for a past event that had gone horribly wrong. They carry their hurts internally, and the reader isn't privy to that full horror of the event that caused such a rift in their lives until it seems the devil does indeed come to Mattingly.

Full of interesting characters from moonshining men, estranged fathers, dead souls and a man living in the woods for the past twenty years the story takes the reader on a strange twisting journey as we follow Jake and Kate (the good ones?) and Taylor and Lucy (the bad ones?) and watch worlds collide. And beneath it all is the memory of Phillip McBride, the dead boy who links them. It did take a while for the pieces of the story to connect which could be construed as a slow start, but the rhythmic writing style eventually weaves its spell and draws you in. The plot becomes slightly mind-bending and it borders on thriller, so fans of mysteries and suspense should enjoy this one. There are several themes touched upon from spirituality and forgiveness as these characters all seek their ultimate redemption. Very intriguing plot unlike any I had read!


Billy Coffey is celebrating his new book, The Devil Walks in Mattingly, with a Kindle Fire HDX giveaway (CLOSED)!
 
  One winner will receive:

• A Kindle Fire HDX
• The Devil Walks in Mattingly by Billy Coffey

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on April 5th. Winner will be announced April  7th on Billy's blog.
 Watch Billy give the backstory of the book here.

Don't miss a moment of the fun; enter today and be sure to stop by Billy's blog on April 7th 2014 to see if you won.

50% too strange for me and the other 50% completely epic

The Orphanmaster by Jean Zimmerman
Viking Adult, June 19, 2012
Hardcover 432 pages
Review copy provided by the publisher, thank you (I think)
Burton Book Review Rating: 3 stars

From a debut novelist, a gripping historical thriller and rousing love story set in seventeenth-century Manhattan

It’s 1663 in the tiny, hardscrabble Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, now present-day southern Manhattan. Orphan children are going missing, and among those looking into the mysterious state of affairs are a quick-witted twenty-two-year-old trader, Blandine von Couvering, herself an orphan, and a dashing British spy named Edward Drummond.
Suspects abound, including the governor’s wealthy nephew, a green-eyed aristocrat with decadent tastes; an Algonquin trapper who may be possessed by a demon that turns people into cannibals; and the colony’s own corrupt and conflicted orphanmaster. Both the search for the killer and Edward and Blandine’s newfound romance are endangered, however, when Blandine is accused of being a witch and Edward is sentenced to hang for espionage. Meanwhile, war looms as the English king plans to wrest control of the colony.

This "gripping historical thriller" didn't begin to interest me until after about two hundred pages in. I was confused and disgusted for the first half of this novel as the author attempted literary prowess with the shock value feature, and I was very close to setting it aside. It was only the reviews of other bloggers that pulled me through, as those who had stuck with it had seemed to love it. And there were others who stuck with it and didn't love it either. As a whole, I would say the novel was pretty good, if you could sift through the minutia of the first half.

The beginning was the major hurdle, as it introduced a slew of characters who merely promised an intriguing story. The onslaught of initial characters wreaked havoc on my attention span, even if most were not too important in the long run, but trying to keep a tally of who was who in the world of New Amsterdam was proving to be a daunting task. And underneath them all, we had to discern between who was good and who was evil. But still, it was not what I would call a character-driven story because there were so many other intrinsic parts to this novel.

The first half of the novel plodded slowly along as I slowly began to piece together a semblance of a plot, though it was so painstakingly slow I wondered what the real plot was. Was it about Blandine the girl who bested men at the trade of trading and her romantic life, or was it about the mad psycho killer who ate orphans? (It was about both, of course). There was commentary throughout the novel, perhaps attempting philosophical debate within the story that smacked of wasted space as if to fill up pages (or was this the literary prowess?). I could not help but feel for the first hundred or so pages a sense of nothingness except for the wickedness that was portrayed, as the exact stage of the plot was still at the same stage as the very beginning (145 pages in). As I tried to ignore the grotesque images that predominated the story, I meandered through these lives of various characters where it always seemed like we were going two steps back with each step forward. The orphanmaster himself was a mixture of good and bad, and we wonder about him throughout the entirety of the story. He is indeed the glue that holds it all together, hence the title.

Some of the shock factor had to do with this being a 'thriller' and the theme of insatiable cannibalism. There was indeed a flesh-eating monster/man/something targeting orphans who were brought to the New World with promise of a new life. But this novel is not for a vegan, or for the faint of heart/queasy stomach. From mentions of human bones throughout the story -of the slaughtered orphans- we also have the underlying theme of a painted beast getting ready for his next slaughter, as well as various intermittent images thrown in (for that over the top thrill factor I suppose) such as a young boy generating income in allowing others a peek at a prize possession: a jar containing a miscarried fetus.

And then, we get to the last quarter of the novel and things are finally moving along - and actually occurring.
Finally we are immersed in the history of New Amsterdam (Manhattan) and we understand more of the concept of living there in the 1660's with the convergence of Dutch settlers, Indians, Africans and the English. I loved the historical context, and the details of the era during the novel. The author also started some chapters with several sentences of what else was going on in the world outside of New Amsterdam, from sea to shining sea. When I was finally able to appreciate the novel, I found myself barreling towards the conclusion with enthusiasm, staying up way past my bedtime to finish it. After all this, was the redeeming last quarter of the novel worth it? For those who enjoy the Stephen King factor with their historical fiction, this would be just the thing. I certainly will not be forgetting this one for a long time.

Spellbinding mix of Science, Spirit, Afterlife, Thriller!

Illusion by Frank Peretti
Howard Books, March 6, 2012
Hardcover 512 pages
Review copy generously received from the publisher, thank you!
Burton Book Review Rating: 5 stars

Dane and Mandy, a popular magic act for forty years, are tragically separated by a car wreck that claims Mandy’s life—or so everyone thinks. Even as Dane mourns and tries to rebuild his life without her, Mandy, supposedly dead, awakes in the present as the nineteen-year-old she was in 1970. Distraught and disoriented in what to her is the future, she is confined to a mental ward until she discovers a magical ability to pass invisibly through time and space to escape. Alone in a strange world, she uses her mysterious powers to eke out a living, performing magic on the streets and in a quaint coffee shop.
Hoping to discover an exciting new talent, Dane ventures into the coffee shop and is transfixed by the magic he sees, illusions that even he, a seasoned professional, cannot explain. But more than anything, he is emotionally devastated by this teenager who has never met him, doesn’t know him, is certainly not in love with him, but is in every respect identical to the young beauty he first met and married some forty years earlier.
They begin a furtive relationship as mentor and protégée, but even as Dane tries to sort out who she really is and she tries to understand why she is drawn to him, they are watched by secretive interests who not only possess the answers to Mandy’s powers and misplacement in time but also the roguish ability to decide what will become of her.
Frank Peretti has crafted a rich, rewarding story of love and life, loss and restoration, full of twists and mystery. Exceptionally well written, Illusion will soon prove another Peretti classic.

Peretti's marketing team had done a stellar job promoting this novel on Facebook, and I read an excerpt there which had me hooked. I have rarely every read samples or excerpts in their entirety before, but this one was good. When I finally got around to reading it, I really had no idea what to expect, even after the first chapter.

Married and professionally successful in the magic business for many years, Dane and Mandy Collins are in a horrific car accident which leaves only one alive. Sort of. Dane survived, and continues his grieving process in Mandy's hometown in a new house they were supposed to live in together. Soon enough, he meets up with the alter ego of Mandy. Going by Eloise, she is a young woman thinking she should be in the hippy 70's, but it's really 2010. When Dane meets Eloise, there is a connection, but neither one of them realizes the magnitude of it. Could it really be Mandy, reincarnated so to speak, as her former self at age nineteen?

Enter Corporal James Dose. Screeching tires sound effect because I really wanted him to go away since he just sort of inserted himself into the story which was gearing up towards love lost and found... now we have some sort of spygate/terrorist cell thing out of nowhere. Turns out, he is just one of a few of the ripple effect Eloise's sudden appearance causes.

Sixty year old Dane is grieving for his wife Mandy, and when Eloise walks up to his front door, he knows something crazy (but magical?) is going on. Convincing himself that Eloise is Mandy's former younger self/spirit doesn't take much. But Eloise doesn't know what's going on either, not does she know where she fits in the universe. It turns out there are many timelines, and Eloise is just one of them. And how is Eloise doing all these fantastic magic tricks, wowing everyone she sees? And who is she, and where did she come from? Enter a few mad scientists, trickery, deceit and a love that surpasses all odds, and you've got yourself a story like no other. I completely fell in love with Dane and Mandy, and her doves, and his loyalty and willingness to believe in the impossible.

I need to mention that when books fall into a paranormal or timeslip category, I don't read any further. If you read this review and feel like it something that you wouldn't normally enjoy, you might very well could be wrong. This was an awesome story for me well deserving of its five stars, even though it may not be something I would usually read. There is a Christian theme and a thriller theme, all blending seamlessly with this undying love for a spouse. Packed with fantastic storytelling, Frank Peretti lives up to his good name. Illusion is a bit of a magic show in itself: mystery, thriller, spirituality, romance.. and as Mandy/Eloise say to each other, "You are in for a ride!"