The Creeping by Alexandra Sirowy [Review]

3.5 out of 5 Robots!

The Creeping by Alexandra Sirowy 
Genre: YA Thriller/Mystery
Release: August 18, 2015
Hardcover: 400 Pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
My Copy: Publisher
Reviewer: Shannon

Book Summary:

Twelve years ago Stella and Jeanie vanished while picking strawberries. Stella returned minutes later, with no memory of what happened. Jeanie was never seen or heard from again.

Now Stella is seventeen, and she's over it. She's the lucky one who survived, and sure, the case is still cloaked in mystery—and it's her small town's ugly legacy—but Stella is focused on the coming summer. She's got a great best friend, a hookup with an irresistibly crooked smile, and two months of beach days stretching out before her.

Then along comes a corpse, a little girl who washes up in an ancient cemetery after a mudslide, and who has red hair just like Jeanie did. Suddenly memories of that haunting day begin to return, and when Stella discovers that other red-headed girls have gone missing as well, she begins to suspect that something sinister is at work.

And before the summer ends, Stella will learn the hard way that if you hunt for monsters, you will find them.

(Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon's Thoughts:

This book was sufficiently creepy, but it did get a little bogged down in side plots and length. 

Here is what I liked:
**It was creepy.  Jeanie and Stella disappeared, but only Stella came back without any memories of what happened.  Then another little girl is discovered murdered and Stella starts to remember disturbing things about what happened to Jeanie.  Things just get creepier from there.  The main question seems to be is there a person doing this?  Or something more a long the paranormal?

**I liked the character arcs that both Stella and her best friend Zoey take, because let's be honest.  They were not very nice girls.  But they start to come around.  Zoey takes the longest, but I do admire her loyalty to Stella.

**I liked that all the main characters grew up together and were all friends at some point.  To me, that background really added to the story because they were all tangled up in Jeanie's disappearance.  It made it a lot more complicated.

**I also liked Sam, although he had a bit of that sad puppy thing going on, but he was a good support for Stella and a catalyst for her to change her attitude.

Here is what I didn't like:
**My main problem is that this book is just too long.  It is almost 400 pages and it feels like it sometimes.  I think it could have done with some paring down because the story slips away from the main plot.

**The characters, especially Zoey, are kind of hard to take.  Stella and Zoey are kind of your typical "mean girl" popular girls.  Zoey is particular nasty at times and controls much of Stella's life.  But as I mentioned above, they do get better.  Thank god.

**The romance definitely gets in the way of the main plot.  The book is split pretty evenly between the mystery and the romance.  I just thought for the genre, this book was heavy on the romance and it detracted from the main plot. 

Overall:

A fun, creepy book even though it could have maybe used a little more paring down.

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn [Review]

4 out of 5 Robots!

Paw and Order by Spencer Quinn
Series: Chet and Bernie #7
Genre: Mystery
Release: August 4, 2014
Hardcover: 320 Pages
Publisher: Atria Books
My Copy: Publisher
Reviewer: Shannon

Book Summary:

In the seventh book in the brilliant New York Times bestselling mystery series, canine narrator Chet and P.I. Bernie journey to Washington, DC, and the dog-eat-dog world of our nation’s capital.

Stephen King has called Chet “a canine Sam Spade full of joie de vivre.” Robert B. Parker dubbed Spencer Quinn’s writing “major league prose.” Now the beloved team returns in another suspenseful novel that finds Chet sniffing around the capital city and using his street smarts to uncover a devilish plot.

Chet and Bernie pay a visit to Bernie’s girlfriend, Suzie Sanchez, a crack reporter living in far-off Washington, DC. She’s working on a big story she can’t talk about, but when her source, a mysterious Brit with possible intelligence connections, runs into trouble of the worst kind, Bernie suddenly finds himself under arrest.

Meanwhile Chet gets to know a powerful DC operative who may or may not have the goods on an ambitious politician. Soon Chet and Bernie are sucked into an international conspiracy, battling unfamiliar forces under the blinking red eyes of a strange bird that Chet notices from the get-go but seems to have slipped by everybody else. Most menacing of all is Barnum, a guinea pig with the fate of the nation in his tiny paws.

As Harry Truman famously quipped, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” Too bad he didn’t get to meet Chet!

(Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon's Thoughts:

Let me just start by saying that Chet and Bernie mysteries are always fun.  Every once in awhile I like reading "cozy mysteries" and this is one of my favorite ones.  Chet, a dog, is the best narrator.  I love how Spencer Quinn really captures a dog mentality.  Chet is crazy about his owner, Bernie, who is a PI.  What I love is sometimes Chet knows something Bernie doesn't and sometimes he has no idea what is happening. It's done well and very fun. Chet's narrations are my favorite part of this series and what keeps me coming back.

As much as I enjoy this series overall, this wasn't one of my favorite ones.  I was excited at first for the change in location, but I must admit, I don't find political drama to be all that interesting.  I think it is also hard to tell a more complex plot from a dog's perspective, especially when said dog doesn't understand everything that is happening.  So the mystery fell a little flat for me.

But all in all, it was still a very enjoyable and fun read.  I am anxious for the next installment!

Books in the Series:

1. Dog On It
2. Thereby Hangs a Tail
3. To Fetch a Thief
4. The Dog Who Knew Too Much
5. Fistful of Collars
6. The Sound and the Furry
7. Paw and Order
8. Scents and Sensibility

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley [Review]

4.5 out of 5 Robots!

As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust by Alan Bradley
Series: Flavia de Luce Mystery #7
Genre: Historical Fiction/Mystery
Release: January 6, 2015
Hardcover: 392 Pages
Publisher: Delacourte Press
My Copy: Publisher
Reviewer: Shannon

Book Summary:

Hard on the heels of the return of her mother’s body from the frozen reaches of the Himalayas, Flavia, for her indiscretions, is banished from her home at Buckshaw and shipped across the ocean to Miss Bodycote’s Female Academy in Toronto, her mother’s alma mater, there to be inducted into a mysterious organization known as the Nide.

No sooner does she arrive, however, than a body comes crashing down out of the chimney and into her room, setting off a series of investigations into mysterious disappearances of girls from the school.

(Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon's Thoughts:

This 7th book marks a departure from the rest of the series.  Flavia is sent abroad to Toronto for finishing school.  This is the first time the series has been set anywhere else but Buckshaw, Flavia's ancestral home.  Flavia's also grown up a bit and has dealt with the discovery and death of her mother, who had previously gone missing.  The feeling is a little more somber and a little more mature, but I loved the direction this series is going.  Even more remarkable is this seventh book feels just as fresh and interesting as the first.  That is truly an accomplishment on Alan Bradley's part.

Here is what I liked:
**I loved the change in scenery!  It was a lot of fun to meet a whole new cast of characters and to see Flavia navigate her way through new friendships, new relationships and new surroundings.  Flavia is used to be the smartest one in the room, but she meets her match on more than one occasion.  I also liked that it gave Flavia a lot of perspective about her family at home.  She does not get along with her sisters, but she finds that she misses them a lot and that they have left an huge impression on her.  She refers back to things Daffy says often to help her understand a situation.

**I love Flavia.  She is so smart and so precocious.  She is a firecracker.  But there is also something a little naive and lonely about her.  She knows so much, but she doesn't always understand the context.  And she is dealt a huge blow in the last book with the discovery of her mother's body.  This makes her lose a bit of her childhood innocence and her grief is still very raw.  I enjoyed watching Flavia mature in this book.  She still has a long way to go (she is only 12), but I love that the series is growing with her.

Here is what I didn't like:
**There is not much I didn't like about this book, but the mysteries were very secondary to the rest of the story for me.  As for the missing girls, I guess that one right away.  It seemed a little obvious.  For the body in the chimney, I was actually a little confused by it.  It was very convoluted.

**It seems Flavia's time at Bodycote's is to be short.  I was a little sad about that.

Overall:

This is such a fun series!  I feel like this could easily be a BBC production.  Do you hear me BBC?  Let's go on that.

Other Books in the Series:


Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens [Review]

3.5 out of 5 Robots!

Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens
Series: Wells & Wongs Mystery
Genre: Middle Grade/Historical Fiction/Mystery
Release: April 21st, 2015
Hardcover: 320 Pages
Publisher: Simon and Schusters Books for Young Readers
My Copy: Publisher
Reviewer: Shannon

Book Summary:

Deepdean School for Girls, 1934. When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own deadly secret detective agency, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't, really.)

But then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym. She thinks it must all have been a terrible accident - but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls know a murder must have taken place . . . and there's more than one person at Deepdean with a motive.

Now Hazel and Daisy not only have a murder to solve: they have to prove a murder happened in the first place. Determined to get to the bottom of the crime before the killer strikes again (and before the police can get there first, naturally), Hazel and Daisy must hunt for evidence, spy on their suspects and use all the cunning, scheming and intuition they can muster. But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test?

(Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon's Thoughts:

I was pretty excited to give this a try because I love this type of setting.  I am fascinated by boarding schools because it is about the furthest thing from my childhood.  I didn't even live in the dorms in college.  I'm an only child.  I lived close enough to my schools to walk to them.  So the idea of all these kids living together without their parents is a strange concept.  I also love plucky kids.  I was hoping for a Flavia de Luce vibe.  And it was a cute book.  But I just didn't connect to it as much as I hoped.

Here is what I liked:
**As I mentioned, I loved the setting.  Especially as it was set in 1934.  That boarding school/historical fiction intersection is kind of my jam.  

**I loved the description of the teachers.  They were not perfect and had messy lives.  The love triangle between some of the teachers was amusing. 

**I liked the quirkiness of the book.  It reminded me a bit of the movie Clue.  Just a little dark humor sprinkled here and there.  

**I also liked Hazel.  I wish she would grow a backbone, but I found her a fun, if not a bit clueless.  

**I liked Hazel and Daisy's relationship.  Hazel, coming from Hong Kong and thereby being very foreign to the other English girls, desperately wants to fit in.  Daisy befriends her, but is not entirely nice to her.  Daisy is very much used to be the star of the show and does not like her authority to be questioned.  Hazel is dazzled by Daisy, but also put off by her behavior.  But she doesn't want to rock the boat, so she mostly keeps her mouth shut.  Hazel and Daisy's relationship is complicated and I appreciated that.  It felt like they were more "frenemies" than best friends.  But their relationship grows by the end, which is good because...

Here is what I didn't like:
**I found Hazel and Daisy's relationship to be extremely frustrating!  I wanted Hazel to grow a backbone and stand up to Daisy a lot more than she did.  

**The mystery should have been a lot more interesting...but it wasn't really.  I mean, some one was murdered!  That should be intense.  It was pretty anti-climatic.  

**I didn't always like the way Hazel's Chinese ethnicity was handled.  It wasn't that I expected her to fit right in, especially in 1934 England, but there were some stereotypes that made me deeply uncomfortable.  For example, her father had concubines.  That seems extremely stereotypical to me, but after poking around the internet, it may have been more common during that time period than I thought.  It was seemed...unnecessary.

**Lastly, I was just a little bored.  Not enough happens to keep my interest for long periods of time and I wasn't that invested in the characters.  I got a little tired of Daisy "Mean Girl"-ing Hazel all the time.

Overall:

Super cute premise, but could have used some more zip.  I would love the read the sequel though to see if some of these issues are smoothed out.

Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes [Review]

 4 out of 5 Robots!

Liars, Inc. by Paula Stokes
Genre: YA Mystery/Thriller
Release: March 24, 2015
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
My Copy: Publisher
Reviewer: Shannon

Book Summary:

Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. With the help of his friends Preston and Parvati, Max starts Liars, Inc. Suddenly everybody needs something and the cash starts pouring in. Who knew lying could be so lucrative?

When Preston wants his own cover story to go visit a girl he met online, Max doesn’t think twice about hooking him up. Until Preston never comes home. Then the evidence starts to pile up—terrifying clues that lead the cops to Preston’s body. Terrifying clues that point to Max as the murderer.

Can Max find the real killer before he goes to prison for a crime he didn’t commit? In a story that Kirkus Reviews called "Captivating to the very end," Paula Stokes starts with one single white lie and weaves a twisted tale that will have readers guessing until the explosive final chapters.

(Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon's Thoughts:

Liars, Inc is a very twisty-turn thriller.  I never knew who to trust or what to believe!  I was very entertained through-out this quick read.

Here is what I liked:
**The twists and turns!  It totally kept me on toes.  I knew I could really trust anything or anyone.  I didn't even guess the mystery.

**I liked Max and his background.  I thought the relationship he has with his foster parents and foster sister was interesting.  He has a fairly tragic background, but I like that it didn't get him down.

**I also liked Max's relationship with Parvati.  I mean, it was weird and something seemed off almost, but I also kind of dug it.  It definitely added an interesting layer to the story.

Here is what I didn't like:
**The writing is a little dry.  There isn't a lot of "fluff" and it is pretty to the point.  I liked Max's wry narration, but I wish it had a bit more oomph.

**Considering this book is titled "Liars, Inc", the Liars Inc plays a fairly small role.  I would have liked to have seen more come out of it.  It seemed pretty superfluous otherwise.

Overall:

If you like thriller, fast paced mystery type novels, then Liars, Inc fits right into that genre pocket.  I also loved it was a male narrator, something we don't get a lot of in YA.  Max had a fun, wry sense of humor, but I wished the writing wasn't so matter-of-fact.  But overall, I had a lot of fun reading this book and devoured it in one day.


Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall [Joint Review!]

2 out of 5 Robots!

  

The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall
Series: Conspiracy of Us, #1
Genre: Young Adult
Release: January 15, 2015
Hardcover:  336 Pages
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
My Copy: Purchased
Reviewer: Shannon & Julia

Book Summary:

Avery West's newfound family can shut down Prada when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war. Part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle, they believe Avery is the key to an ancient prophecy. Some want to use her as a pawn. Some want her dead.

To unravel the mystery putting her life in danger, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the monuments of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul with two boys who work for the Circle—beautiful, volatile Stellan and mysterious, magnetic Jack. But as the clues expose a stunning conspiracy that might plunge the world into World War 3, she discovers that both boys are hiding secrets of their own. Now she will have to choose not only between freedom and family--but between the boy who might help her save the world, and the one she's falling in love with. (Courtesy of the Publisher)

Julia & Shannon: Joint Review!

1. In a couple of sentences, what did you think of The Conspiracy of Us?

Shannon:  I admit I had high expectations for this book.  The plot sounded sweeping and epic.  I was expecting it to be a lot of fun, full of twists, and fast paced.  Ultimately though, I was pretty disappointed.  I found it just too improbable and I was underwhelmed.

Julia: I had no idea what I was getting into when I began The Conspiracy of Us. Didn't even read the plot summary- so I went in with an open, fresh mind. I barely made it through the first half, but kept chugging (skimming) because I had a little hope. (And I wanted to talk to Shannon about it.) This book is a major disappointment and is so packed of cliches, I just didn't enjoy it.

2. Was the plot something that kept you hooked?

Shannon:  I was really trying to get on board with the conspiracy theories and the secret societies and the Da Vinci Code-ness.  But I just couldn't.  It was just a little too much for me.  And while the plot was fast paced, there wasn't enough substance for me to feel invested in the characters or the story.

Julia: No, the plot is not fast paced or thrilling. There isn't anything about the plot that even intrigued me. I think this is because there wasn't any real development in the characters or the story. For awhile I cared about who her family was, but then that fizzled. 

3."Beautiful, volatile" Stellan or "magnetic" Jack?

Shannon: Ugh.  I mean, Jack, because he's the more "upstanding" guy and that's usually who I gravitate towards, but could these two guys be any more cliched?  Why is it always the loose cannon bad boy and the brooding yet safe boy?  Over it.  The other thing I can say is that there really isn't much of a love triangle, in the truest sense.  One boy is definitely more of the love interest in than the other. 

Julia: Well, Stellan is definitely volatile and beautiful, but I didn't find Jack magnetic. They're both pretty flat characters, if it were me, I'd choose Jack. Obviously, he's safe and handsome. But, being the reader, Stellan is much more interesting. The "love triangle" isn't much of a love triangle, so if the book sounds intriguing to you and you don't like love triangles, don't worry about that. 

4. How did you get along with Avery?

Shannon: This was a huge sticking point for me.  I could not handle Avery.  She made me want to hurl the book across the room.  First of all, she should have all her decision making revoked.  For example, someone pulls a knife on her and yet she boards a private jet to Paris with him without telling anyone because he's pretty and she "knows" he won't hurt her.  REALLY?!  I can't even.  She is more concerned about shopping at Prada than she is about letting her mom know where she is.  And of course, she is the Special Snowflake who everyone loves and wants to protect.  She always figures things out faster than the people who have been in involved in Circle their entire lives. 

Julia: Avery and I didn't get along. I couldn't relate to her at all, I don't even think my 17 year-old-self could understand her "rash" teenage decisions. She's pretty silly and everything Shannon said. (Sorry, if you couldn't tell, I'm pretty apathetic about this book.) 

5. Anything you wish the story had, or wish it would drop?

Shannon:  I wish it didn't feel like a million other books I've read. I wish that Avery was a little more concerned about taking jet rides from strangers.  I wish that the plot actually made a little more sense.  I wish it would drop the incessant Prada name dropping.  Did Prada pay for product placement?

Julia: I just wish the beginning hadn't started off the way it did- with her trip to Paris right after her prom. Silly... It really set the tone for the rest of the book and kind of destroyed it for me. 

6. Rating? Reading the sequel? Who are you recommending this to!

Shannon: 2.5 Stars for me.  I don't think I will read the sequel, even with that big twist at the end.  I do think that if you like All Fall Down by Ally Carter, then you will probably like this book.  They have a similar feeling to them.

Julia: 2 Stars for me, and only because I finished it. I won't be reading the sequel or recommending this to anyone.

The Conspiracy of Us Series:

1. The Conspiracy of Us

2. Untitled - Due 2016

3. Untitled - Due 2017

The Secrets of Lily Grave by Sarah Strohmeyer [Review]

4 out of 5 Robots!

The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer
Genre: YA Contemporary
Release: May 13, 2014
Hardcover: 298 Pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
My Copy: Publisher (Edelweiss)
Reviewer: Shannon

Book Summary:

With the intrigue of Pretty Little Liars and plenty of romance, bestselling author Sarah Strohmeyer weaves a story of secrets and lies—set in a funeral parlor.

Growing up in a house of female morticians, Lily Graves knows all about buried secrets. She knows that perfect senior-class president Erin Donohue isn’t what she seems. She knows why Erin’s ex-boyfriend, hot football player Matt Houser, broke up with her. And she also knows that, even though she says she and Matt are just friends, there is something brewing between them—something Erin definitely did not like.

But secrets, even ones that are long buried, have a way of returning to haunt their keeper.

So when Erin is found dead the day after attacking Lily in a jealous rage, Lily's and Matt’s safe little lives, and the lives of everyone in their town of Potsdam, begin to unravel. And their relationship—which grew from innocent after-school tutoring sessions to late-night clandestine rendezvous—makes them both suspects.

As her world crumbles around her, Lily must figure out the difference between truth and deception, genuine love and a web of lies. And she must do it quickly, before the killer claims another victim.

(Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon's Thoughts:

First Impressions:
I thought this was a fun book whose strengths lie with the protagonist.  The mystery aspect didn't really reveal anything particularly new or shocking, but I like it as the backdrop to the rest of the story.  Below I'll break down what worked and didn't work for me.

Here is what I liked:
**I really enjoyed Lily as the main character.  She is compassionate, but willing to stand her ground.  She is close with her family, even when they annoy her.  She has a unique perspective on life and isn't afraid to let her "freak flag fly", but she is also fairly grounded and has a strong sense of self.  

**I loved that Lily's family are morticians.  Strohmeyer could have made this way over the top, but I thought it was a good balance of quirky and realistic.  It kind of reminded me of a cross of the funeral parlor scenes in My Girl and Drop Dead Gorgeous.

**Matt and Lily's relationship.  It was sweet.  I couldn't help but like it.  I also like the idea of the "jock" with the "outcast".  I like unlikely romances.  I also loved how their relationship also wasn't focused on how different their social circles were.  They both just liked each other for themselves.  

**The writing is bouncy and fun.  Lily has a great self-deprecating sense of humor and even though the subject matter was a little dark, it was very much a lighthearted book.

Here is what I didn't like:
**I wasn't too keen on the stereotypes of jocks, mean girls, weirdos, etc.  I just wish YA would break out of these stereotypes and paint high school social relationships more complicated than the strict cliques they portray.  It's not all The Breakfast Club.  

**I am pretty squeamish when it comes to death, so some of the descriptions of how bodies are prepared grossed me out a bit.  I appreciated the realism and it certainly was not gratuitous.  But still, ew.

**I didn't find the mystery all that compelling.  Or I should say, I didn't think the reveal to be that compelling. I guessed it fairly early on and it wasn't particularly new or shocking.  I liked when Lily was "working the case", but overall, I felt ambivalent about it.  It didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story at all, but it didn't add to it much either.

Overall:
This was the first Sarah Strohmeyer book I've read and I will definitely be back for more.  I was very entertained and found it the right mix of fluffy and serious.  If this sounds like it is up your alley, you should definitely check it out!


Disclaimer: I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas [Review]

4.5 out of 5 Robots!

  

Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Release: August 14, 2014
Hardcover:  336 Pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books
My Copy: Purchased
Reviewer: Shannon

Book Summary:

It all comes down to this. Oliver, Ethan, and I. Three teens venture into an abandoned lake house one night. Hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Chloe drags one Reznick brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding. The other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives? And is his death a tragic accident? Desperate self-defense? Or murder ...? Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece the story together - a story of jealousy, twisted passion and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful faces ...

(Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon's Thoughts:
Having read Haas' other thriller, Dangerous Girls, I knew I was in for a tense, unpredictable thriller.  Dangerous Boys definitely delivers.  While it feels different than Dangerous Girls, it still gives you all the things you expect: twisty-turny plot, an unreliable narrator and questionable morals. 

Chloe, the narrator, is three weeks away from escaping her small town and going to college.  Her father left her mother to start a new family and her mother is slipping further and further into a deep depression.  Chloe finds a distraction in Ethan, a new kid in town who takes a liking to Chloe.  Chloe isn't expecting anything since she is leaving.  But after realizing that her mother is much much worse than she thought, Chloe realizes she has to put aside her college dreams and take care of her mother.  She now finds herself stuck in her small town and with a perfectly nice, safe boyfriend.  Chloe feels suffocated and tries hard not to.  But it all comes to a head when Oliver, Ethan's wild and unpredictable older brother, shows up.  Chloe can't help but be attracted to Oliver's wildness and Oliver sees the darker desires of Chloe's heart.  And because this is a Haas book, things do not end well.    

The book starts at the end, with the confrontation between Oliver and Ethan and then works backwards and forwards, piecing together the events that led to their confrontation.  There were definitely some surprising turns.  Dangerous Boys is definitely darker than its predecessor.  I can't say I liked any of the characters, but I still whipped through this book in a day.  I had to know how it ended!  And wow!  That ending!!

After reading two of Haas' books, I can definitely say I am a fan.  Anyone who is a fan of psychological thrillers should definitely check out this book and Dangerous Girls!

After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman [Review]

4 out of 5 Robots!

  

After I'm Gone by Laura Lippman
Genre: Mystery/Crime
Release: February 11, 2014
Hardcover:  352 Pages
Publisher: William Morrow
My Copy: Publisher
Reviewer: Shannon

Book Summary:

The acclaimed New York Times bestselling author of The Most Dangerous Thing, I'd Know You Anywhere, and What the Dead Know returns with an addictive story that explores how one man's disappearance echoes through the lives of the five women he left behind—his wife, his daughters, and his mistress

Dead is dead. Missing is gone.

When Felix Brewer meets nineteen-year-old Bernadette "Bambi" Gottschalk at a Valentine's Day dance in 1959, he charms her with wild promises, some of which he actually keeps. Thanks to his lucrative—if not all legal—businesses, she and their three little girls live in luxury. But on the Fourth of July in 1976, Bambi's comfortable world implodes when Felix, facing prison, vanishes.

Though Bambi has no idea where her husband—or his money—might be, she suspects one woman does: his devoted young mistress, Julie. When Julie disappears ten years to the day after Felix went on the lam, everyone assumes she's left to join her old lover—until her remains are discovered in a secluded park.

Now, twenty-six years later, Roberto "Sandy" Sanchez, a retired Baltimore detective working cold cases for some extra cash, is investigating her murder. What he discovers is a tangled web of bitterness, jealousy, resentment, greed, and longing stretching over five decades. And at its center is the man who, though long gone, has never been forgotten by the five women who loved him: the enigmatic Felix Brewer.

Felix Brewer left five women behind. Now there are four. Does at least one of them know the truth?

(Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon's Thoughts:

Based on the description of this book, I was expecting a heavy focus on the mystery of Julie's death.  But that isn't really what I got.  Julie's death actually takes a backseat to everything else until the very end.  Instead, the story meanders between the past and present in little vignettes of lives of Bambi, her three daughters and Julie.  The only time the story focuses on the mystery is when Sandy is poking into Julie's cold case.

But even if this wasn't the mystery I was expecting, I did find this book compelling.  Felix is missing throughout most of the story, but he looms large in everyone else's lives.  He is very much a secondary character whose actions created ripple effects felt for years after his disappearance.  My only complaint is that it was a little hard to keep all the timelines straight in my head.  Be sure to pay attention otherwise you will probably be a little lost!

Disclosure:  I reviewed a copy free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes [Reviews]

4 out of 5 Robots!

  

Killer Instinct by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series: Naturals #2
Genre: YA Mystery/Crime
Release: November 4, 2014
Hardcover:  386 Pages
Publisher:Disney Hyperion
My Copy: Purchased
Reviewer: Shannon

Book Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Cassie Hobbes has a gift for profiling people. Her talent has landed her a spot in an elite FBI program for teens with innate crime-solving abilities, and into some harrowing situations. After barely escaping a confrontation with an unbalanced killer obsessed with her mother’s murder, Cassie hopes she and the rest of the team can stick to solving cold cases from a distance.

But when victims of a brutal new serial killer start turning up, the Naturals are pulled into an active case that strikes too close to home: the killer is a perfect copycat of Dean’s incarcerated father—a man he’d do anything to forget. Forced deeper into a murderer’s psyche than ever before, will the Naturals be able to outsmart the enigmatic killer’s brutal mind games before this copycat twists them into his web for good?

With her trademark wit, brilliant plotting, and twists that no one will see coming, Jennifer Lynn Barnes will keep readers on the edge of their seats (and looking over their shoulders) as they race through the pages of this thrilling novel.

(Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon's Thoughts:

Killer Instinct takes place a few weeks after the end of the first book, The Naturals.  Cassie is reeling from the events that took place in the previous book that left two of her friends and fellow Naturals injured.  A new agent is sent to the house and she is strictly play-by-the-numbers.  But a new murderer emerges with the same M.O. as Dean's serial killer father and the team becomes deeply involved as they try to help Dean and figure out who is the killer.

I liked this book a lot better than the first, The Naturals.  I felt things were more established and more polished this go around.  And I think I enjoyed this mystery more as well.  I liked how the Naturals band together to try to help once another.  I like them better together rather than in opposition with each other.  A certain amount of suspension of belief is needed, but this book is also a lot of fun.  The ending was especially fast paced and scary.  I did not fully figure out who the culprit was until the very end.

If you are looking for a fun thriller, I recommend this series!

The Hollow Man by Oliver Harris [Review]

4 out of 5 Robots!

  

The Hollow Man by Oliver Harris
Series: DC Belsey #1
Genre: Mystery/Crime
Release: October 23, 2012
Hardcover:  480 Pages
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
My Copy: Publisher
Reviewer: Shannon

Book Summary:

The first in a series of gritty and original thrillers following cunning detective Nick Belsey from a rising voice in British crime fiction 

"A twisting spiral of lies and corruption, a pitch-perfect portrait of contemporary London and a beguiling bastard of a hero-what a recipe for a great read." -Val McDermid

Waking up on Hampstead Heath in a crashed squad car, still drunk, with no wallet, no phone, and only a Masonic candlestick to remind him of the events of the night before, London police detective Nick Belsey has hit rock bottom. At dawn he checks in at the station to collect his things on what should be the last day of his career, but something in the overnight files catches his interest-a missing person report from Bishops Avenue, London's richest street. Alex Devereux - worth a fortune, never seen, lived alone-has vanished, leaving his Porsche in the garage and a suicide note on his desk. In Devereux's disappearance, Belsey sees a way out for himself: the opportunity for a new start by stealing the man's identity. It's a pity, however, that so many other people are looking for Devereux as well. Belsey quickly realizes that his would-be scam is about to be outclassed by a far more ambitious fraud, as the race to get to the elusive oligarch's fortune becomes a game with life and death stakes.

The Hollow Man is a tour de force of pace and plotting, and a vividly evocative love-letter to London. Oliver Harris is a sharp and stylish writer who has created a seductive, worldly, and cunning anti-hero. Nick Belsey is amoral and cynical but nonetheless deeply serious about his investigation, about a police officer's vision of the world, and about the quest for truth that haunts any good detective.

(Courtesy of the Publisher)

Shannon's Thoughts:

Det. Nick Belsey could easily swill a whiskey with the likes of Marlowe and Spade.  He is gruff, broke, down on his luck, on a bender and not afraid to get his hands dirty.  But he can't shake the need to solve a tough case when it falls in his lap.  Belsey wants to take a break, escape, and is tempted to assume a rich dead man's identity.  Devereux may just be his ticket out of London.  But as Belsey goes further into Devereux's life, he finds himself embroiled in a much bigger (and more dangerous) scheme.

This book seemed like a chunk and I was worried about the pacing, but it managed to keep my attention all the way through.  I loved the noir style and Belsey's grey morals.  The mystery just keeps getting bigger and bigger and the ending came around at a breakneck speed.

Overall, this is one of the better crime drama's I've read in awhile.  And I'm very impressed this is a debut novel to boot.  I think mystery fans - especially those that like intricate plots, will enjoy this novel.

Disclosure:  I reviewed a copy free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.