jbronderbookreviews

City of the Lost (Casey Duncan – 1) by Kelley Armstrong

Casey Duncan once killed a man and got away with it. Since then she’s become a talented police detective, tethered only to her job, her best friend, Diana, and the occasional evening with her sexy, no-strings-attached ex-con lover, Kurt. But then Diana’s abusive ex finds her again, despite all Casey has done to help her disappear. And Casey’s own dark past begins to catch up with her. The two women need to run—and Diana’s heard of a place where they won’t be found, a town especially for people like them…

My Review

5 stars

While in college, Casey was attacked and almost killed because of her boyfriend. She ends up killing him and becomes a successful detective. Casey has been friends with Diana since childhood and has been trying to protect her from her abusive ex. One night Diane’s ex catches up with her and beats her up pretty badly. When Casey’s own past catches up with her they decide to disappear to a place that Diana has heard about.

After an exclusive interview process where Casey almost didn’t pass, both women find themselves in Rockton, a small Yukon town that is pretty self-reliant full of people escaping for one reason or another. Diana takes her new life and freedom way to recklessly while Casey becomes a deputy and helps solve a series of murders.

Casey is a great detective and a kick-butt woman but she just can’t let herself move past the attack and the killing. For some reason she just has to punish herself. But she is a great person, especially how she is just willing to walk away from her life just so Diane can get away from her own ex. And Dalton, what a hard headed pain in the butt. But he is a great match for Casey. I loved the mystery. I had me guessing right up to the end and had lots of twists and turns in between.

I am a huge Kelley Armstrong fan since I first read the Women of the Otherworld series. Although this has no paranormal characters I loved it just the same. I was also lucky enough to get City of the Lost on audiobook. Therese Plummer is an amazing narrator. She has a beautiful voice that had me taking the extra-long way home from work so I could keep listening to the story.

If you like thrillers and mysteries I recommend that you check out this book or audiobook.

To purchase City of the Lost make sure to visit Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, Audible and Kelley Armstrong’s website.

Check out this clip from the audiobook. If this doesn’t encourage you the check it out I don’t know what will.

I received City of the Lost for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Richard Unglik

(Excerpt from Goodreads) Reimagine one of Sherlock Holmes’ most popular mysteries, The Hound of the Baskervilles, using the beloved Playmobil characters and figurines.

This series has been very successful with over 100,000 copies sold and has been translated in German, Spanish, and recently in Greek. There are many Playmobil FunParks all over the world: Palm Beach, FL in the United States; Paris, France; Athens, Greece; Malta; and of course Nuremberg, Germany which has the largest Playmobil FunPark, with over 22 acres of Playmobile fun. The FunParks are very keen to have English language copies to sell in their stores. There are also hundreds of Playmobil fans around the world who can’t wait to get their hands on an English copy!

My Review

5 stars

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are approached by Dr. Mortimer regarding the death of Sir Charles Baskerville by unnatural means. Dr. Mortimer was a person friend to Sir Charles and worries that the legend of the Baskerville hound has something to do with Sir Charles’ death. Sherlock and Dr. Watson go on the hunt to the real cause of death for Sir Charles and to solve the mystery of the Hound of the Baskervilles.

Richard Unglik has taken Playmobile figurines and used them along with news articles and such to tell the story of The Hound of Baskervilles. Very visual and well done. I loved the characters and the news articles and journal entries really added to the story.

This would be a perfect book for children to introduce them to more advanced literature. If I had kids this is definitely the book series that I would have for them. As an adult, the book follows along with the story and I love the extra level of details.

I strongly recommend people getting a copy of this book and others in the series.

To purchase Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles make sure to visit Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Goodreads.

I received Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles for free from Quarto Publishing Group for free in exchange for an honest review.

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Free Fall (Kate Page – 4) by Rick Mofina

CRISIS IN THE SKIES 

Pilots with no control… 

High above the Adirondack Mountains, a commuter flight to New York City turns into a rolling, twisting nightmare, plunging from the sky before the crew regains control. Then, in London, a jetliner crashes into the runway, killing fifteen people.

Investigators with no answers… 

Reporter Kate Page believes something beyond mechanical—or human—error is behind the incidents that have air investigators baffled. But the mystery deepens as teams scramble to pinpoint a link between the tragedies, and Kate receives an untraceable message from someone boasting responsibility and threatening another event.

A looming disaster… 

As Kate, the FBI and the NTSB race to find answers, the shadow figures behind the operation launch their most devastating plan yet, and time ticks down on one of the greatest tragedies the world has ever known.

My Review

5 stars

A pilot flying into New York and loses control of the plane which plummets but the pilot manages to regain control. Then a plane in London plummets and leaves 15 dead. No one can figure out what happened. Kate Page is a reporter for NEWSLEAD. She gets a message that the incidents were planned and that there will be another one worse than the last two. It’s a race against time as Kate finds herself trying to stop the next attack.

Kate is such a strong female character. She rises to the challenge and works to help the terrorists instead of just reporting on the current events. There was lots of action and I couldn’t put the book down. I just had to find out what happened next.

This is the first book of Rick Mofina’s that I have read. I’m sure if I read the other books in the Kate Page series I would have more background for Kate. But I had no trouble reading Free Fall as a stand-alone book.

If you are looking for a high energy thriller look no further.  This is one book that I recommend you checking out.

To purchase Free Fall make sure to visit Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads and Rick Mofina’s website.

I received Free Falling for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Sacrifices (Arcane Underworld – 3) by Jamie Schultz

(Excerpt from Goodreads) Things get a little demonic in the latest Arcane Underwold novel from the author of Splintered.
 
Thanks to their recent involvement with a magus crimelord and his demonic partner in mayhem, occult thieves Anna Ruiz and Karyn Ames are both stuck sharing head space with a demon. But while Karyn’s possession has had the unexpected benefit of focusing her visions of the future, Anna’s demon is spurring on her darkest urges, and it’s only a matter of time before she acts on them—and hurts someone in the process.

To save their skins, the two need to find a mysterious relic. But with their search taking them into some of the darkest places in the arcane underworld, Anna and Karyn will have to ally themselves with a group no self-respecting thief would be caught dead with—the Federal Bureau of Investigation…

My Review

4 stars

Anna Ruiz and Karyn Ames are thieves that have proven themselves by stealing obscure occult items. But since they have met Enoch Sobell, he keeps giving them harder and harder jobs. It also doesn’t help that both are being possessed by demons. Karyn may have more focused visions but Anna is starting to find it harder and harder to resist her own dark desires.

Anna has basically taken over since Karyn has been wrapped up in her visions. Eventually they need to be done with Sobell since it is clear that he is just going to push them to the end. It is a race to the free themselves and filled with lots of action up to the end.

I admit that I have not read the other books in this series and although Sacrifices could be read as a stand-alone it would have been better with a bit more background. I did really like this book and will definitely be getting the other two books in this series.

To purchase Sacrifices make sure to check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads and Jamie Schultz’s website.

I received Sacrifices for free from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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