Book Review: I will Find You by Harlan Coben

 

                                                              

Published March 14, 2023

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An innocent father serving life for the murder of his own son receives evidence that his child may still be alive, and must break out of prison to find out the truth in #1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben’s latest breathtaking thriller.

David and Cheryl Burroughs were living the dream life when tragedy struck. Now, five years after that terrible night, Cheryl is remarried. And David is serving a life sentence in a maximum-security prison for the brutal murder of their son.

Then Cheryl’s sister, Rachel, arrives unexpectedly during visiting hours and drops a bombshell. She’s come with a photograph that a friend took on vacation at a theme park with a boy in the background who has a familiar, distinctive birthmark … and even though David and Rachel realize it can’t be, they both just know. It's David’s son, Matthew, and he's still alive.

David plans a harrowing escape from prison, determined to do what seems impossible–save his son, clear his own name, and discover the real story of what happened that devastating night.

MY REVIEW:

I Will Find You by Harlan Coben

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

David was charged for murdering his son. He didn't fight it because he felt his life was over since his son was dead.

Now Rachel, his sister in law shows him a photo with his son in it.

David escapes to find his son and what that leads to will have you hoping he gets to his son and we find out why he was taken which has a twist at the end. I

I would have given this book 5 stars but the things that David does to dodge police sometimes seemed a little far fetched.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this book.

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Harlan Coben is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and one of the world's leading storytellers. His suspense novels are published in forty-five languages and have been number one bestsellers in more than a dozen countries with seventy-five million books in print worldwide.

His books have earned the Edgar, Shamus, and Anthony Awards, and many have been developed into Netflix Original Drama series, including his adaptations of The Stranger, The Innocent, Gone for Good and The Woods. His most recent adaptation for Netflix, Stay Close, premiered on December 31, 2021 and stars Cush Jumbo, James Nesbitt, and Richard Armitage.

Book Review: More Than Meets the Eye by Iris Johansen

                                                     Published February 7, 2023

                                                    Buy from Amazon

New York Times bestselling authors Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen team up for another electrifying thriller that pits a serial killer against Kendra Michaels' heightened powers of deduction.

After scoring a plea deal in a high-profile murder trial, serial killer James Michael Barrett leads a grim parade of law enforcement officers to the body of his last victim. At the alleged burial site, the officers swing their shovels down and are met with a strange metallic sound they weren’t expecting. In a blink, a terrific explosion rocks the woods, killing Barrett and most of the officers instantly.
The detonation is only the beginning of a shocking case for FBI consultant Kendra Michaels—a string of heinous murders in the style of the very-dead Barrett mysteriously continue, and it becomes clear that he may not have been working alone. As the crimes accelerate, Kendra reluctantly accepts help from college student Tricia Walton, the only survivor of Barrett’s attacks. But the killer has a terrifying plan that Kendra and her team are only beginning to understand.

                                               MY REVIEW:

More Than Meets the Eye by Iris Johansen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this from NetGalley and as an audio from the publisher.
Another serial killer for Kendra Michaels to catch. I like the characters in this book and the narrator for the audio did a great job. I enjoyed listening to it,

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Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success.

She lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.


http://www.irisjohansen.com

Book Review: Captive by Iris Johansen

 

                                                    Kindle Edition, 432 pages
                                                     Published September 6th 2022

                                                            Buy on Amazon

Eve Duncan’s daughter Jane MacGuire seems to have found a perfect life with Seth Caleb—until a ruthless madman threatens to destroy it all, in this gripping suspense novel from #1 bestselling author Iris Johansen.

Jane MacGuire is enjoying a period of domestic bliss as she focuses on her art and her partner Seth Caleb uses his unique abilities as an agent for the MI6 intelligence service. But when Seth crosses crime lord Hugh Bohdan, he incurs the wrath of one of the world’s most powerful criminal empires…one whose tentacles reach across the globe and even to the idyllic Scottish retreat where Jane is working.

Soon Jane is on the run, struggling to stay one step ahead of Bohdan’s army and his devastating high-tech weaponry. Even with the assistance of Earl John MacDuff, she finds danger at every turn. But with that peril comes an astonishing discovery: a 200-year-old secret on the brink of becoming lost to history.

Jane and Seth must join forces to unlock the fascinating puzzle, even as they hurtle toward a lethal final confrontation in the Highlands. But before their adventure is over, Jane and Seth will encounter their biggest shock of all…and realize nothing can be the same for them ever again.

 

MY REVIEW:

Captive by Iris Johansen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the 29th book of the Eve Duncan series. Focused on Eve's daughter Jane and her partner Seth Caleb.
Seth works for a M16 Intelligence Service and hired to take out a ruthless madman, Bohdan.
Jane goes to Scotland to be safe and uncovers a past and some art that she wants to know more of. Her life and Caleb's are in danger and no matter where they go they seem to be hunted.
You can feel the love between Caleb and Jane and what they do for each other even when they are mad at each other. How far reaching Bohdan has and what he won't do to find them
I look forwards to more in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ebook to review.

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                                                                    Iris Johansen


Born in St. Louis, Missouri

Website
http://www.irisjohansen.com/

Genre
Romance, Literature & Fiction, Suspense



Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success.

She lives in Georgia and is married. Her son, Roy Johansen, is an Edgar Award-winning screenwriter and novelist. Her daughter, Tamara, serves as her research assistant.

Book Review: Blind Tiger by Sandra Brown

 

                                                       Kindle Edition, 448 pages
                                    Published August 3rd 2021 by Grand Central Publishing
                                                 buy from Amazon

The year 1920 comes in with a roar in this rousing and suspenseful novel by #1 New York Times bestselling author Sandra Brown. Prohibition is the new law of the land, but murder, mayhem, lust, and greed are already institutions in the Moonshine Capitol of Texas.

Thatcher Hutton, a war-weary soldier on the way back to his cowboy life, jumps from a moving freight train to avoid trouble . . . and lands in more than he bargained for. On the day he arrives in Foley, Texas, a local woman goes missing. Thatcher, the only stranger in town, is suspected of her abduction, and worse. Standing between him and exoneration are a corrupt mayor, a crooked sheriff, a notorious cathouse madam, a sly bootlegger, feuding moonshiners . . . and a young widow whose soft features conceal an iron will.

What was supposed to be a fresh start for Laurel Plummer turns to tragedy. Left destitute but determined to dictate her own future, Laurel plunges into the lucrative regional industry, much to the dislike of the good ol’ boys, who have ruled supreme. Her success quickly makes her a target for cutthroat competitors, whose only code of law is reprisal. As violence erupts, Laurel and—now deputy—Thatcher find themselves on opposite sides of a moonshine war, where blood flows as freely as whiskey.

MY REVIEW:

Blind Tiger by Sandra Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is set in the 1920's during Prohibiton. Blind Tiger is another word for Speakeasy. A speakeasy is a place where alcohol beverages are sold illegally. A place of business would have a backroom that only certain people would know about. Reading about all this I did learn a few things.
Thatcher Hutton is a war soldier and on his way home he stows away on a train and this is where his life becomes complicated.
Laurel Plummer is married to a man who was in the war and came home a different person. He uproots her and their baby to go live with his dad, who didn't even know if his son was alive or dead.
The town in Texas is full of a lot of criminals. A corrupt mayor, a crooked sheriff, a cathouse, and moonshiners, which makes this full of adventure.
I loved the sheriff, even though he is crooked. He doesn't want to be and we learn more about him throughout the book.
Laurel and her father in law made me chuckle a few times and the interaction between them was of a great relationship.
Thank you to Grand Central and NetGalley for the ARC to review.

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                                                      Sandra Brown




Born in Waco, TX, The United States

Website
http://www.sandrabrown.net/

Twitter
sandrabrown_NYT

Genre
Mystery & Thrillers, Suspense, Romance

Influences
Oscar Wilde, Mary Stewart, Taylor Caldwell, Evelyn Anthony...too many ...more


URL
https://www.goodreads.com/sandra_brown



Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Sandra Brown is the author of more than sixty New York Times bestsellers, including STING (2016), FRICTION (2015), MEAN STREAK (2014), DEADLINE(2013), & LOW PRESSURE (2012), LETHAL (2011).

Brown began her writing career in 1981 and since then has published over seventy novels, bringing the number of copies of her books in print worldwide to upwards of eighty million. Her work has been translated into over thirty languages.

In 2009 Brown detoured from romantic suspense to write, Rainwater, a much acclaimed, powerfully moving historical fiction story about honor and sacrifice during the Great Depression.

Book Review: Chaos by Iris Johansen

 

                                                   Hardcover, 416 pages
                                     Published September 1st 2020 by Grand Central Publishing
                                                     Buy on Amazon

When CIA agent Alisa Flynn flaunts the rules by breaking into a mansion in the middle of the night, she skillfully circumvents alarms and outwits guards only to find herself standing in billionaire Gabe Korgan's study… busted by Korgan himself. This could cost her her job unless, in a split second, she can turn the tables and try to convince him to join her on the most important mission of her life.

In a ripped-from-the-headlines plot, schoolgirls in Africa have been kidnapped, and Alisa knows that Korgan has the courage, financial means, and high-tech weaponry to help rescue them. With so many innocent lives hanging in the balance, what she doesn't reveal is that one of those schoolgirls is like a little sister to her. But when the truth gets out, the stakes grow even higher.

Calling in additional assistance from renowned horse whisperer Margaret Douglas, Alisa and Gabe lay their plans, only to see them descend into chaos as the line between right and wrong wavers before them like a mirage. Every path is strewn with pitfalls, each likely to get them – or the hostages – killed. But with the help of a brave team and a horse with the heart of a warrior, they might just get out of this alive.

                                              MY REVIEW:

Chaos by Iris Johansen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had aa hard time getting into this book. I didn't really care for any of the characters.
When CIA agent Alisa Flynn flaunts the rules by breaking into a mansion in the middle of the night, she skillfully circumvents alarms and outwits guards only to find herself standing in billionaire Gabe Korgan's study… busted by Korgan himself.
In a ripped-from-the-headlines plot, schoolgirls in Africa have been kidnapped, and Alisa knows that Korgan has the courage, financial means, and high-tech weaponry to help rescue them.
Calling in additional assistance from renowned horse whisperer Margaret Douglas, Alisa and Gabe lay their plans, only to see them descend into chaos as the line between right and wrong wavers before them like a mirage.
A school in Africa being taken over by a militia group. A man by the name of Masenak has taken over St. Eldon’s Academy for girls and has kidnapped many of the students. One of them is a girl by the name of Sasha Lawrence. I hated Masenak. But the one thing that irritated me by the author was her constant use of his threatening Sasha. In almost every paragraph that they are in together. I knew it was going to be the next sentence before i even read it.
sorry that i could not get into this book as I do like this author.
I received the book from Grand Central Publising and NetGalley for review.

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                                                                     Iris Johansen



Born in St. Louis, Missouri

Website
http://www.irisjohansen.com/

Genre
Romance, Literature & Fiction, Suspense





Iris Johansen is a New York Times bestselling author. She began her writing after her children left home for college. She first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, Johansen began writing suspense historical romance novels, starting with the publication of The Wind Dancer. In 1996 Johansen switched genres, turning to crime fiction, with which she has had great success.

Book review: The Return by Nicholas Sparks

 

                                                     Hardcover, 368 pages
                                Published September 29th 2020 by Grand Central Publishing
                                                     Buy on Amazon

Trevor Benson never intended to move back to New Bern, NC. But when a mortar blast outside the hospital where he worked as an orthopedic surgeon sent him home from Afghanistan with devastating injuries, the dilapidated cabin he inherited from his grandfather seemed as good a place to regroup as any.
Tending to his grandfather's beloved bee hives while gearing up for a second stint in medical school, Trevor isn't prepared to fall in love with a local . . . and yet, from their very first encounter, his connection with Natalie Masterson can't be ignored. But even as she seems to reciprocate his feelings, she remains frustratingly distant, making Trevor wonder what she's hiding.

Further complicating his stay in New Bern is the presence of a sullen teenage girl, Callie, who lives in the trailer park down the road from his grandfather's cabin. Claiming to be 19, she works at the local sundries store and keeps to herself. When he discovers she was once befriended by his grandfather, Trevor hopes Callie can shed light on the mysterious circumstances of his grandfather's death, but she offers few clues -- until a crisis triggers a race that will uncover the true nature of Callie's past, one more intertwined with the elderly man's passing than Trevor could ever have anticipated.

In his quest to unravel Natalie and Callie's secrets, Trevor will learn the true meaning of love and forgiveness . . . and that in life, to move forward, we must often return to the place where it all began.

                                                          MY REVIEW:

The Return by Nicholas Sparks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Trevor Benson never intended to move back to New Bern, NC. But when a mortar blast outside the hospital where he worked as an orthopedic surgeon sent him home from Afghanistan with devastating injuries, the dilapidated cabin he inherited from his grandfather seemed as good a place to regroup as any.
Further complicating his stay in New Bern is the presence of a sullen teenage girl, Callie, who lives in the trailer park down the road from his grandfather's cabin. Claiming to be 19, she works at the local sundries store and keeps to herself. When he discovers she was once befriended by his grandfather, Trevor hopes Callie can shed light on the mysterious circumstances of his grandfather's death, but she offers few clues.
Trevor is battling demons from being in Afghanistan and he doesn't trust easily.
Callie is surely running and hiding and I wanted to know so much about her.
When Trevor meets Natalie, the local cop, he doesn't know what to think of her. she is nice one minute and cold the next nd he wants to know why. She seems to have to prove herself in a man's world. I really wanted these 2 together.
Thank you to Grand Central publishing for the book to review.

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                                                               Nicholas Sparks


Born in Omaha, Nebraska, The United States

Website
http://www.nicholassparks.com/

Twitter
SparksNicholas

Genre
Literature & Fiction, Romance
URL
https://www.goodreads.com/nicholassparks



Nicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with over 105 million copies sold worldwide, in more than 50 languages, including over 75 million copies in the United States alone.

Book Review: A Woman Alone by Nina Laurin

Paperback, 336 pages

Published June 23rd 2020 by Grand Central Publishing

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A year after a brutal home invasion that left her traumatized, Cecelia, along with her husband and their three-year-old daughter, move into a new house with a complex security system that is supposed to make her feel safe.

But reality proves different as strange things begin to happen at home and the security system reveals that the house had a prior occupant: Lydia.

On her quest to discover the fate of the mysterious Lydia, Cecelia uncovers metaphorical skeletons in the closet, and she realizes that that no one's secrets are safe -- including her own.

                                                  MY REVIEW:

A Woman Alone by Nina Laurin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A year after a brutal home invasion that left her traumatized, Cecelia, along with her husband and their three-year-old daughter, move into a new house with a complex security system that is supposed to make her feel safe.

But reality proves different as strange things begin to happen at home and the security system reveals that the house had a prior occupant: Lydia.

On her quest to discover the fate of the mysterious Lydia, Cecelia uncovers metaphorical skeletons in the closet, and she realizes that that no one's secrets are safe -- including her own.

Wow remind me not to have a smart house. The things that went wrong and what is known all about you is pretty scary. About as bad is what is probably known about us through our smartphones.
Cecelia gets help from someone to find Lydia and learns her story.
The ending though , wow, how someone knows Cecelia's secrets and uses it against her is mind blowing.
I received this book from Grand Central Publishing for review.

Nina Laurin

Website

https://thrillerina.wordpress.com/

Twitter

girlinthetitle

Genre

Suspense, Mystery

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/ninalaurin

       

Grand Central Publishing

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Nina Laurin

• Facebook: @GirlInTheTitle
• Twitter: @NinaLaurinBooks
• Instagram: @nina.laurin

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Book Review: The Other Sister by Sarah Zettel

Hardcover, 380 pages

Published August 28th 2018 by Grand Central Publishing

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Geraldine Monroe is the bad sister. Reckless and troubled, she ran away shortly after the mysterious death of their mother twenty years ago.

Marie, on the other hand, has always been the good sister. She is the obedient daughter and a loving mother to her son.

Now Geraldine has come home, for good it seems, and no one--not the aunts or uncles or cousins--really knows why. The most suspicious of all is Martin Monroe, the father who rules the extended family and their small town with a poisonous combination of money and coldheartedness. But even he doesn't realize what the truth is: that the sisters have become allies in a plot to kill him.

Bound by blood and a need to right the past, Geraldine and Marie set their plan in motion. When old secrets and new fears clash, everyone is pushed to the breaking point . . . and the sisters will learn that they can't trust anyone, not even each other.

                                                 MY REVIEW:

The Other Sister by Sarah Zettel

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Geraldine is titled as the "bad sister" and ran away after the death of her mother. Marie on the other hand is known as the "good sister" who is raising her teenage son. Of course... as the story begins to reveal itself it's not all as it seems with the good sister and the bad sister.
Talk about dysfunctional family. Wow!
This story switches back and forth of the POV. You are able to keep track though as the chapters tell whole POV it is. Also from the past and to today.
Their mother died 20 years ago and their father was abusive towards Geraldine but he is emotionally abusive to Marie.
Geraldine thinks she killed her mother and Marie knows about the past.
I hated the father in this book and found him a horrible, abusive, controlling person.

I received this book from Grand Central Publishing.

Sarah Zettel

Born

in The United States

Website

http://www.sarahzettel.com/

Twitter

sarah_zettel

Genre

Science Fiction & Fantasy

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/DarcieWilde

Sarah Zettel is the critically acclaimed author of more than twenty novels, spanning the full range of genre fiction. Her debut novel, Reclamation, won the Locus Award for Best First Novel. Her second release, Fool’s War, was a 1997 New York Times Notable Book, and the American Library Association named Playing God one of the Best Books for Young Adults of 1999. Her novel Bitter Angels won the Philip K. Dick Award for best science fiction paperback in 2009. Her latest novel, Dust Girl, was named as one of the best young adult books of the year by both Kirkus Reviews and the American Library Association. Zettel lives in Michigan with her husband, her rapidly growing son, and her cat, Buffy the Vermin Slayer.

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Book Review: The Boy From the Woods by Harlan Coben

The man known as Wilde is a mystery to everyone, including himself. Decades ago, he was found as a boy living feral in the woods, with no memory of his past. After the police concluded an exhaustive hunt for the child's family, which was never found, he was turned over to the foster system.

Now, thirty years later, Wilde still doesn't know where he comes from, and he's back living in the woods on the outskirts of town, content to be an outcast, comfortable only outdoors, preferably alone, and with few deep connections to other people.

When a local girl goes missing, famous TV lawyer Hester Crimstein--with whom Wilde shares a tragic connection--asks him to use his unique skills to help find her. Meanwhile, a group of ex-military security experts arrive in town, and when another teen disappears, the case's impact expands far beyond the borders of the peaceful suburb. Wilde must return to the community where he has never fit in, and where the powerful are protected even when they harbor secrets that could destroy the lives of millions . . . secrets that Wilde must uncover before it's too late.

Hardcover, 384 pages

Published March 17th 2020 by Grand Central Publishing

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                               MY REVIEW:

The Boy from the Woods by Harlan Coben

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wilde had been found as a boy in the woods. With not knowing who he was or where he came from. He snuck into peoples house and watch TV and learned computers so when he was found he knew how to read and talk. It is now 30 years later and he still doesn't know who he is or where his family is. He lives a very simple life in the woods.
Hester Crimstein is a famous TV lawyer and has a connection to Wilde, since he was her son's best friend growing up. When a local girl ends up missing Hester asks Wilde for his help to find her. He is a retired soldier and has ways to find things out.
I have always loved Harlan Coben but am behind in his books so I had to pick this one up and I was not disappointed.
Thank you to Grand Central and Netgalley for the arc to review.
#NetGalley #grandcentral

Harlan Coben

Born

in Newark, New Jersey, The United States

Website

http://www.harlancoben.com/

Twitter

HarlanCoben

Genre

Mystery, Suspense, Young Adult

With over 60 million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben’s last seven consecutive novels, MISSING YOU, SIX YEARS, STAY CLOSE, LIVE WIRE, CAUGHT, LONG LOST and HOLD TIGHT all debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and lists around the world. His books are published in 43 languages around the globe.

Coben is the winner of the Edgar Award, Shamus Award and Anthony Award – the first author to win all three – and he has received an eclectic variety of honors from all over the world. His novel TELL NO ONE has been turned into a hit French film of the same name. His essays and columns have appeared in many top publications.

Harlan was born in Newark, New Jersey. He still lives in New Jersey with his wife, Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a pediatrician, and their four children.

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Book review: Smokescreen by Iris Johansen

In this pulse-pounding thriller from #1 New York Timesbestselling author Iris Johansen, forensic sculptor Eve Duncan journeys to Africa to help families torn apart by a violent attack deep in the jungle--but she may be putting herself in more danger than she knows.

A journalist shows up on Eve Duncan's doorstep with a plea for help. Jill Cassidy has just come from a small African village with a heart wrenching story: half the villagers--many of them children--have been killed in a horrific attack by guerilla soldiers, the bodies burned beyond recognition. Now, the families desperately need Eve's help to get closure and begin to heal.

But when Eve arrives in the remote jungle, she begins to suspect that Jill's plea may have been a cover story for a deeper, more sinister plot. Isolated and unsure who she can trust, Eve finds herself stranded in an unstable country where violence threatens to break out again at any moment and with only her own instincts to rely on if she hopes to get home to her family alive . . .

#1 New York Times bestselling author Iris Johansen is back with one of her most exhilarating and dangerous adventures yet in this "riveting" high-stakes thriller (Publishers Weekly).

                               MY REVIEW:

Smokescreen by Iris Johansen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It has been awhile since I have read a book from this series. I am behind on the series but I didn't feel like I had to read the series up to this point.
Eve Duncan is a forensic sculptor and she is confronted by a Journalist to please go to a small African village. There was a horrible massacre that happened in the town and most of them children in a schoolroom. So she is asked to reconstruct the skulls of the children so the families have closure.
But once Eve gets there she believes that Jill tricked her to uncover something else or someone else.
As Eve meets the Queen of this village things don't seem to be as they appear. The Queen is not happy with Jill and doesn't seem to want Eve there.
There was so much going on and Eve's life seemed to be in danger which upsets her son and her husband. Her husband is an officer of the law and he goes to Africa to be with Eve and find out exactly what is going on.
I received this book from NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an honest review.


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