Thirteen

(Eddie Flynn #4) by Steve Cavanagh

Imagine a serial killer sits in July, watching your every move. Listening to the trail and looking at the evidence of his proud work.
All he needs is to convince the rest of the Jury to give the final verdict in favor of his choice and let the innocent defendant take the prison time….



Holy Cow! I had a wild ride…I loved this story with full flying starts




The story starts when a Hollywood famous and rising star, Bobby Solomon on trial for the murder of his wife, Ariella Bloom, and the security man. With all of the evidence and forensics against Bobby, NYPD is sure that he is the murderer and Eddie Flynn is bobby’s only savior.
Eddie is an ex-con turned lawyer, now is in a battle with the prosecutors who eager to prove the defendant is guilty and the 13 Jury members with a serial killer who puts his brain behind the murder.

What a great premise! This is my first legit courtroom thriller story, and I loved its every piece.
I picked this book out on a whim not knowing this is the fourth book of Eddie Flynn’s series and I’m so glad I did it. I was so captivated by the cover page saying "The serial killer isn't on trial. He's on the jury”. Once I dive into the story I was immediately hooked.

The story unravels from Eddie’s and Kane's POV, where Eddie is telling his part and Kane is showing the audience his actions.

I Really liked the Author’s writing style and every twist and turns, especially fascinated by the extent that the serial killer, Kane went to cover his tracks and clear his way to be in the Jury as well as Eddie trying to brainstormed every single clue to put bits and pieces to frame the actual murderer.

I will definitely be seeking out more of Cavanagh's works in the future and I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves reading a great thriller book !!!

My Ratings:

The Grip of It

by Jac Jemc

 “We can lose ourselves behind a trapdoor, whether in our mind or in the house.”

This Story starts when a couple, Julie and James move into a house in a small town outside the city. James has a gambling problem and Julie wants a brand-new start and both desperately want a change in life. They were more than happy to find this new house which sits between the ocean and forest. But little they know that the new house and the mysterious residents who lived in the house has other plans for the couple.
The synopsis and the cover of this story are so promising, but I ended up been disappointed. Going into this novel I was expecting a dark haunted house tale, but could not find anything to scared me Rather I felt the whole story is about a couple trying to find out what is wrong with the house and their neighbor and the surroundings. The story had so much potential but ended up been another flat story.

The story is written in couple’s POV’s and most of the time it's “she said”, “he said”. I like the author’s writing style and the cover but unfortunately, there is not much horror element in this story. There have been few creepy vibes such as unexplained drawings, moving shadows, hidden rooms, mysterious children playing in woods, and a cave near the beach, but none gave me a nail-biting experience of what I anticipated from a horror story.
The story is just like the horror movies, first, they ignore the red flags, don’t believe what the other person experience, and in the end, they were messed.
Overall, this is fine reading and I would give another chance to read a book from this author.

My Ratings:

My Sister's Husband

by Nicola Marsh 

“It should be easier with siblings. Growing up together, sharing stuff, from clothes to music to excuses to get out of curfew makes the bond strong—it should be unbreakable. But sometimes it’s not. 

Sometimes those we love the most are the ones who hurt us irrevocably and we can never go back. 

Fathers are supposed to be role models. 

Mothers should nurture and encourage.

 But what if your dad doesn’t set a good example and your mom doesn’t care? If the family you have is in name only, patched together by the DNA that bonds you and little else? “

My sister's Husband is a suspense/mystery book full of secrets, Lies, hate, and jealousy among sisters from generation to generation. The story starts where elder sister Brooke receives an invitation to her younger sister Freya’s weeding with an email from Cousin Lizzie, saying her mother (Brooke’s aunt) Alice is ill.

After been disconnect from her family and home for a long time, Brooke is uncertain whether she wants to visit her family and connect with her past. But giving a second chance, she decided to attend her sister’s wedding with the intention of repairing the broken bonds among family members.

Little that she knows that there are full of surprises waiting for her at the other end and the time she spends with family can change her entire life the way she never expected.

This is one of the great mystery/suspense stories I have read in the year 2020 and It was hard to put the book down once I started.

With being an elder sister myself, I felt so connected with Brooke and the relationship with the younger sister. The relationship with sisters can be sweet as it could be but can turn to be toxic at the same time.

The story is in multiple POV’s from Brooke, Freya, and Alice in two different timespans. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style, the characters, and all the twists and turns even though the title seems questioned since there is no Major husband role is playing in the story. 

Overall, This is a well-written story for any mystery reader, and it will keep you hooked from the beginning.

This is my first reading from Nicola Marsh, and I will be definitely picking up more books in the future.

My thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for an ARC of My Sister's Husband in exchange for an honest review.

My Ratings:

 

This Is How I Lied

by Heather Gudenkauf 

“If you don’t understand how things die

How can you understand how they live?”

As soon as I see the title/cover and the synopsis I was super intrigued to read this story. But unfortunately, I was ended been disappointed.

This story is about a murder that took place in a small-town in Grotto, Iowa. Twenty-five years ago, the body of sixteen-year-old Eve Knox was found in the caves near her home in small-town Grotto, Iowa. The body was discovered by her best friend Maggie and her sister Nola.

At that time there were a handful of suspects, including her boyfriend, Nick, and the lawyer where Eve used to babysit his children. But without sufficient evidence, the case ultimately went cold.

 

 

After 25 years, a child found a missing boot of Eve near the grotto caves, and with the new evidence, police have to reopen the cold case. The current lead detective on the case is Maggie who happens to be the daughter of the retired chief. She is seven months pregnant and having difficulties finding new leads while coping with her bitter past. Maggie's Dad was the investigator in charge of the case all those years ago. But failed to find the murderer and everyone in town lost hope and having second thoughts about whether Maggie can bring justice to Eve. Will she able to bring justice to her best friend?

The story flows from multiple POVs of Maggie, Eve, and Nola and one of those stories with multiple possible murder suspects. Readers will swing through these multiple suspect’s time to time. 

Was it the abusive boyfriend, Nick, or the predator father and the lawyer, Cam of her babysitting charges or her psycho younger sister, Nola? Or Maggie’s Husband Shaun, who happens to be a friend of Eve? At one point I suspected Maggie’s Brother, colin.

This story looks so much promising. But went downfall after revealing the possible murderer.

The overall plot seems to be unbelievable. Especially the major plot twists. All the characters have some kind of issues, mostly the character Nola. 

I really enjoyed the authors writing style. But it did not hit the 5-star mark and generally, this turned out to be an okay read for me. This is my first reading from this author and I'm interested to see what other stories this author has to offer.

Finally, I still enjoyed reading this book and suggest to give a chance, if you are into small-town mystery/Thriller stories. 

My Ratings: