The Resting Place by Camilla Sten

Publication Day: March 29th, 2022

Rating:  ★★★★

Eleanor walks in on her cruel grandmother Vivianne’s murder, but her prosopagnosia (inability to recognize faces) leaves her unable to identify who she saw. The introduction puts you right in that police interview room after the crime before going back in time to the events that led up to that room. Now five months later, still with no idea who could be the killer or how close they are, Eleanor has inherited one of her grandmother’s homes and everything helps to contribute to the creepy, atmospheric power of this read. This book alternates between Anushka in 1965 and Eleanor present day. This book was a great read! From the creepy inherited manor to the discovered diaries, never knowing who it was that Eleanor walked in on murdering her grandmother, and the alternating stories. I think sometimes, especially early on before you get truly invested, that back and forth with the time can feel like it’s giving you whiplash, but once you get started, you’re in! Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins Press, and Camilla Sten for this advanced review copy.

Saylor Rains

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Magnificent Errors by Sheryl Luna

Publication Day: February 1st, 2022

Rating:  ★★★★

Magnificent Errors is a beautifully atmospheric collection of poetry. Sheryl Luna focuses on those living in the margins and she does an amazing job of it, describing people who struggle whether it be through their socioeconomic background, mental health, those who have faced abuse, hard times, and injustice, and she describes the way that these are magnificent, awe-inspiring individuals. The localized nature themes make for beautiful symbolism, and the stories told were hard and heartbreaking. The author’s own struggles and recovery, her return to a place of light and beauty, was beautiful. Thank you to Norte Dame Press, Kathryn Pitts, and Sheryl Luna, for this DRC.

Saylor Rains

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A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

Publication Day: January 11th, 2022

Rating:  ★★★★

A Flicker in the Dark features Chloe Davis, who at 12 years old was living in a small town where girls were disappearing all summer, only for her father to be arrested at the end of summer for all of their murders. Now nearing the 20 year anniversary, Chloe is a psychologist in private practice, engaged— only for young girls to start going missing all over again. The beginning of this novel really draws you in and makes you keep turning pages! Chloe turns out to be a very unreliable narrator, one who is grasping onto her happiness. The plot is really interesting and atmospheric reads are my absolute favorite. While the book gets to a point where it isn’t as page-turning as it initially was, it does constantly keep you trying to figure out the plot and guess what’s going on, and it does pick up and grip you again! I thought the ending was satisfying and the best plots are ones that make sense to a certain degree when you figure out what really happened/is happening, like this one did. This was a great read from one of my favorite publishers recently; they have just been a powerhouse of putting out some of my recent favorite thrillers! I’m in a cabin in the middle of the mountains with almost no internet so I missed publication day by a day, but happy publication day! Thank you so much to Minotaur Books, Stacy Willingham, and NetGalley for this copy.

Saylor Rains

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The Echo Man by Sam Holland

Publication Day: April 5th, 2022

Rating:  ★★★★

Amazing, twisting plot. A copycat serial killer is murdering people, each different in method but all famous cases from the past. Detectives Cara Elliott and Noah Deakin are trying to hunt down the true killer. At the same time Jessica Ambrose is on the run after being accused of being the arsonist who set the fire killing her husband. With the help of suspended detective Nate Griffin, she discovers a shocking connection to the copycat killer and the arson. A culmination of crimes committed all leading up to one tantalizing finale. This is apparently Sam Holland’s debut novel, and it was a very thought out plot. There are murders, plot twists, darkness, suspicion, shifting tension, and all of the things that make a great thriller. I was definitely glued to this book— I had to know who did it! One of my favorite things about a book is when they have amazing, well rounded, flawed characters. The one things that dragged for me about this book was that some of the main characters started off hard to empathize with and/or were borderline unlikable. After dipping into the plot more, this didn’t matter as much, but I do find that liking the characters and rooting them makes a book SO much better, because then you’re rooting for them to win, you’re hurting when they hurt, you’re overall getting all of the emotions that a great book makes you feel. I think that would have put this book over the top. Thank you to Sam Holland, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for the pleasure of getting to read an arc of this book.

Saylor Rains

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The Night Shift by Alex Finlay

Publication Day: March 1st, 2022

Rating:  ★★★★★

The Night Shift was like coming home and realizing it smells just as good as you remember— in this case home is Alex Finlay’s writing. FBI Agent Sarah Keller is back, investigating what could be two connected crimes fifteen years apart. In 1999 four teenaged girls working at a Blockbuster were attacked, and only one survived. History repeats itself all these years later in an ice cream shop. Alex Finlay is a master of keeping you on the edge of your seat, suspicious of everyone. He creates real, flawed, well-rounded characters, lays out a phenomenal and complex plot, and is well practiced at writing alternating perspectives without a single one being boring. I read this all in one sitting and I kept jotting down theories for each thing said, heard, or realized throughout the story and one of them panned out! The one thing I do not forgive Alex Finlay for: just like after reading Every Last Fear I feel genuine heartbreak for some of these characters and I now need to decompress once again. This was an amazing read, thank you to Alex Finlay, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this incredible ARC.

Saylor Rains

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Reckless Girls by Rachel Hawkins

Publication Day: January 4th, 2022

Rating:  ★★★

Rachel Hawkins is a great author which drew me to this book. In

Reckless Girls

the characters, their voices, and their interactions all feel very genuine and compelling. The mood is set incredibly well.

Lux and her boyfriend Nico are hired to sail two women to an island in the pacific. What starts off as a trip of a lifetime, fun opportunity quickly spirals out of control after they get to the island. Lux is a very fun character in this story, and you get to see the background of how a lot of characters met. This is a very atmospheric read, which Rachel Hawkins excels at creating. Meroe Island is not all that it seems.

I think this book starts off great and lost me a little toward the end. It is a nice and quick read, easy, and again the characters are very enjoyable. To me it wasn’t an extraordinary book beyond that. I don’t want to give anything away, but I want to say that if I knew even more of the characters and their past or if we just had a bit more in the way of breadcrumbs to piece together everything would be more believable in the end.

Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the copy of this arc.

Saylor Rains

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Good for Good by Joanna Schaffhausen

Rating:  ★★★★★

Brilliant.

Twenty years ago the Lovelorn Killer murdered seven women before seemingly going underground. Now, he’s back. 

Detective Annalise Vega lost someone she loved to this killer twenty years ago, and now she has the chance to solve the case once and for all. Starting with the recent murder of Grace Harper, who may have discovered something incriminating that no one else knew. 

The best part of Joanna Schaffhausen’s writing, is her characterization. Right from the introduction Annalise comes across as a well-rounded character with both positive and negative traits, and she’s very self aware. You become suspicious of every new character but she’s able to endear some of them to you so that you hope it isn’t them. 

This book was a great police procedural and was so fun for me to figure out, and I was pleased to get it all except for one detail that even slipped by me! This was an enjoyable read and this book definitely got me out of a reading slump.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books, and Joanna Schaffhausen for the opportunity to read this review copy.

Saylor Rains

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A Dark and Secret Place by Jen Williams

Publication Date: June 8th, 2021

Rating:  ★★

Heather Evans returns home after her mother's baffling suicide. In her mother's belongings she finds some alarming letters- correspondence with the serial killer Michael Reave. Reave has been serving a life sentence for decades now after being convicted for several ritualistic murders of women, even though he continually pleaded his innocence. Finding these letters causes Heather to seek out the person her mother had been writing to and look more into this case. When a new body is discovered with the same MO as the previous murders, Heather tries to find out the truth about what happened and what her mother could have known.

Initially, this story is a gripping thriller. It gives you the creeps the same way the opening to a horror film does, very atmospheric which is great. I would advise anyone who can't handle animal cruelty in a book to skim that. I did find that once you reach a certain point in the book there is so much going on, so many different elements that are supposed to be mysterious, creepy, or haunting, that it does feel like a little too much.

The premise of this book was intriguing and the creep factor was definitely there for some of the book. I wasn't completely satisfied with it as I finished it up, but there are some great reviews for this book and I'm sure there will be even more by the publication date. I would definitely recommend you read it and form your own opinions because I have a feeling people are going to be very hit or miss with this one.

Thank you to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Jen Williams for the opportunity to read this review copy.

Saylor Rains

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The Little Grave by Carolyn Arnold

Publication Date: January 11th, 2021

Rating:  ★★★★

It's been five years since the day Detective Amanda Steele lost her whole world because of one person's decision to drive while drunk. When the driver that killed her family is found dead in a motel room she can't stay away from the case, despite the conflict of interest. Not everything is what it appears to be, and Amanda finds herself digging deeper and deeper into the darkness behind a string of murders. 

Amanda Steele is a Jessica Jones type, a good cop with baggage and self-medicating tendencies. She's also a strong-willed character, justice-seeking character who you want to see solve everything. This is a great police procedural and had enough action to keep things interesting. This was a fun read from figuring out how everything ties in and encountering the plot twists that take you to the end!

Thank you to Carolyn Arnold, Bookouture, and NetGalley for this ARC!

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Saylor Rains

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Before She Disappeared by Lisa Gardner

Publication Date: January 19th, 2021

Rating:  ★★★

Before She Disappeared is Lisa Gardner’s first standalone in twenty years. Frankie Elkin is almost your average middle-aged woman- except for the fact that she’s a recovering alcoholic who spends her time tracking down missing people the world has forgotten about. Her search for new cases leads her to a Boston neighborhood in search of Angelique Badeau. Finding the missing Haitian teenager becomes increasingly difficult Frankie comes to discover, but she won’t stop trying to uncover the truth.

Lisa Gardner is a creative author and a favorite of mine, but this wasn’t my favorite book of hers. I didn’t connect with Frankie the way that I normally like to with characters. You can definitely see the logic behind her character, I just wanted more. She did have some funny dialogue, if you’re the type to like the occasional witty remarks in your mysteries.

I love the entire concept of this book, of the main character being someone who closes these cases that no one else can (or wants to). I also enjoyed the ending!

Thank you to Penguin Group/Dutton, Edelweiss, and Lisa Gardner for this ARC.

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Saylor Rains

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Saltwater Graves by B.R. Spangler

Publication Date: December 14th, 2020

Rating:  ★★★

My heart breaks over and over for Detective Casey White.

A woman's body washes up on the beach with striking similarities to a case from a couple years back involving the ex-sheriff, Jericho Flynn, Casey's romantic partner. Days later another woman is found, and both of them have ties to Jericho's past. Every clue uncovered seems to incriminate her loving partner more and more, and time is running out to catch this killer before he catches her.

Saltwater Graves was a good story, it would make a good episode of a crime drama to use as background noise when I'm doing other things, but it wasn't an edge-of-my-seat/can't-put-it-down thriller. The procedural aspect of this book was fun to read and was just like watching CSI or Bones as they try to find out what happened to the victims. The book doesn't really get into its crescendo until the third or fourth quarter of the book, until then I wasn't crazy about it. I did find myself so sad and heartbroken for Casey toward the end of the book as she faced one loss after another in rapid succession and couldn't catch a break. I also found the ending to be unsatisfactory, I'm sure there will of course be another installment in the Detective Casey White series, but this ending wasn't one urging me to read on. I do applaud the author's ability to break my heart for Casey.

I was mostly excited for this book because of the fact that the setting, the Outer Banks, is where I live and grew up. For me, I feel like it was a mistake on my part because this wasn't an Outer Banks setting this was more like a Virginia Beach setting through and through and the inaccuracies drove me up a wall, but that's just a personal grievance of mine and did not affect the rating I gave this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, B.R. Spangler, and Bookouture for the ARC of this book.

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Saylor Rains

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Watching You by Lisa Jewell

Rating:  ★★★★★

Oh. My. God. I am officially a huge fan of Lisa Jewell. Watching You is a story of family secrets, affairs, hidden malicious sides, and an unexplained murder to top it all off. In a neighbourhood where seemingly everyone is watching someone. This book was written in such an interesting format, chronologically telling the story with an excerpt every few chapters from police interviews with some of the characters. It makes for such an interesting read and leaves you trying to figure out who did it the whole time. The characters are phenomenal because of the fact that they all have their positive and negative traits and behaviors, making them very well rounded personality-wise, but also leaving each of them each with possible evidence, opportunity, or motive to be the killer. While reading you are constantly adjusting your theory. I was so pleased with myself for making the right connections throughout the story and figuring it out, but some things still popped out and shocked me! The most jarring part of the whole book that knocks the air out of you: the epilogue. Just read it and see.

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Saylor Rains

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American Serial Killers by Peter Vronsky

Publication Date: February 9th, 2021

Rating:  ★★★★★

As far as studying psychopaths, serial killers, and how they might have become the way they are, this book is an absolute gem. I knew when I started this that it was going to be a five star rating within the first few pages. Starting off with the preface, which was amazingly written and enticing the reader to continue reading, we read about the last "celebrity" serial killer of the epidemic years and a name everyone knows: Jeffrey Dahmer. Enough of a blurb to show how lives can change forever in one day and really kickstart the whole book.

Vronsky writes an absolutely fascinating introduction to the "golden years" of serial killers. His writing is clear and concise, and absolutely filled with interesting statistics, facts, and information. Organized by decade based on the adaption of serial killers in the time and featuring prominent killers in the media, we also learn about outside influences each decade that could help cook up the perfect storm that makes psychopaths commit these heinous acts. Things like wars and fathers with PTSD, media such as movies and magazine filled with dark themes in post war times, the politics of race and underreporting of black victims, the brain of a psychopath and the damage that can cause a shift in personality, etc. 

One of the greatest parts of this book for me had to be Vronsky's thorough use of his research and citations. I took down so many of his citations for science journals and books that I want to read to do further research. He remains seemingly objective to everything and merely writes things as they are, which is a talent to be respected when dealing with atrocities that break your heart. He is such a good writer that some of the descriptions and reading about the lives of the victims is devastating. 

Thank you to Peter Vronsky, Berkley, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC, especially for such a well-written book. 

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Saylor Rains

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Too Good to Be True by Carola Lovering

Publication Date: March 2nd, 2021

Rating:  ★★★★★

Too Good to Be True is one of those books that just grabs ahold of you and won't let you stop reading. When you think you know what's going to happen, suddenly everything is spun a completely different way. I don't want to spoil anything or give anyone clues or ideas, but this is a unique, interesting story filled with lies and betrayal then sprinkle some revenge and deception on top. Set both now and telling the story of thirty years ago you have to figure out who is lying, what they're lying about, and why.

Too Good to Be True is a book to take a chance on, just go for it and read it without anyone's reviews in your head!

Thank you to Carola Lovering, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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Saylor Rains

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The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins

Publication Date: January 5th, 2021

Rating:  ★★★★

The beauty of The Wife Upstairs is that the book is very clearly based on Jane Eyre but also in its own little parallel universe, not relying too heavily on staying true to the classic, which was so important in making this a new and interesting read.

In this book, twenty-three year-old Jane, a foster child who aged out of the system, is walking dogs for her rich neighbors and surviving by stealing things people wouldn't miss. Then Jane meets Eddie Rochester, who is still the rich, handsome widower, even in this version. Quickly, Jane and Eddie fall into a whirlwind romance which inevitably ends in Eddie asking Jane to marry him. The only problem? Jane feels that Eddie is also keeping some secrets. The story leads you wanting to find out the truth and what really happened.

This book is great for those who enjoy the classics and also some modern thrillers, as well as people who enjoy lighter reading rather than the classics. It's really an interesting combination of genres that would interest so many types of readers, which makes it great. Of course, it's not actually Jane Eyre, one of my favorites, but it's definitely an interesting, fun read.

Thank you to Rachel Hawkins, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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 Saylor Rains

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Salvation Station

Rating:  ★★★★★

Police captain Linda Turner becomes obsessed with solving the haunting murders of two young children and their pastor father, as well as the disappearance of their mother and why they never made it to their missionary work in Africa. Salvation Station is a murder-mystery that combines elements of suspense, police procedural, and a fraudulent religious organization in a way that reads like an episode of CSI or Criminal Minds. Schleich takes you along more than one plot line but is skilled enough to never lose the reader or cause the story to become muddled. I don't want to give anything away, but the story of the killer was such an interesting one because the author gives them a backstory and makes them a more realistic character while at the same time showcasing to the reader that they are a master manipulator with no conscious. I was most impressed by the actual crime-solving/investigation writing and how well it was written, and I was shocked when I found out this was Kathryn Schleich's debut novel. It's well balanced, concise and not drawn out or boring, and has an interesting plot. Definitely the kind of novel to put an author on my radar for the future. Salvation Station wasn't a long novel, but it was an absolute page-turner and the perfect novel for all of the crime readers and watchers. Thank you to Kathryn Schleich and book publicist Kelsey Butts for this review copy, this was a great read!

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Saylor Rains

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