Realistic Tragedy – Their Last Breath by Sibel Hodge @sibelhodge

Posted on November 5, 2019 by fundinmental

I first found Sibel Hodge by participating in a tour by Partners In Crime and never looked back. Whenever I see her name, I immediately check further. This will be my third book by Sibel Hodge and I have loved every one of them.

Their Last Breath has a powerful cover that definitely fits the storyline. Done by BlackSheep.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I love the simple but powerful cover and it definitely pertains to the story inside. Does it make you curious? Good! I love Sibel Hodge’s work and was so excited when she gave me a copy for review.

Detective Warren Carter retired…with a haunting secret, so when the call came from the Chief Superintendent of the Professional Standards Department, he was on full alert. She wanted his help and gave him free rein to investigate. He felt the justice system failed many, all politics, all the time, so he didn’t always follow the rules, going rogue and I like that. I feel his frustration. This time, it was with approval.

Nice touch, with the old neighbor. I felt his feebleness, oldness, loneliness.

I wondered how Warren and Becky’s cases would intersect.

Their Last Breath by Sibel Hodge is one of those books that takes off early, ticking me off, getting my emotion in an uproar. Human trafficking and enslavement. The reason for the women’s abductions was a new one for me and that just added to my disgust. I loved trying to understand what could possibly make someone think that is okay. Delving into the minds of twisted characters fascinates me.

Becky…she eats often…she’s a grazer. I almost snorted out loud. LOL Sibel Hodge’s writing. She creates complex characters and she knows how to ‘show’ their personalities.

Early on, I find HER very fishy. My spidey senses are tingling and instinct is a valuable tool when reading, writing, and investigating.

I love flawed characters and Warren is one for sure. I would want him and Becky in my corner if I am ever in trouble. Their tenacity and instinct lead them to success.

Well done, Sibel. You hooked me from beginning to end. The characters are filled with depth and personality and that made me me love and hate them. The storyline is one I am familiar with, kidnapping and trafficking, but you added that little bit extra that I am always looking for, getting my emotion in an uproar, filling me with disgust at the villains and empathy with those that can find no way out of the position they find themselves in, just because they wanted a better life. Their Last Breath has the feeling of reality, of events that go on today.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Their Last Breath by Sibel Hodge.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Detective Carter knows all about torture – but he’s never known a case as dark as this one.

The Six…

An abandoned building goes up in flames. Six women are chained inside and left to die – the truth is left to burn with them. Only one piece of evidence remains, but will it be enough to find their killer?

The Detective…

Retired detective Warren Carter has been suffocated by grief for his wife and is looking for a new start. But when he gets a call that cuts to the heart of the force, investigating a corrupt police officer, he has to accept. This time, though, he’s going to have to face his demons and work out who to trust when the truth is guarded by his own colleagues.

The Bad Cop…

It was supposed to be the perfect crime: they knew the system well enough to beat it and get away with murder. But they didn’t know Detective Carter, and how far a man will go when he has nothing left to lose…

Their Last Breath is the gripping new thriller perfect for fans of Line of Duty, from the bestselling author of Duplicity and Into The Darkness

ABOUT SIBEL HODGE

Sibel Hodge is the author of the #1 Bestsellers Look Behind You, Untouchable, and Duplicity. Her books have sold over one million copies and are international bestsellers in the UK, USA, Australia, France, Canada and Germany. She writes in an eclectic mix of genres, and is a passionate human and animal rights advocate.

Her work has been nominated and shortlisted for numerous prizes, including the Harry Bowling Prize, the Yeovil Literary Prize, the Chapter One Promotions Novel Competition, The Romance Reviews’ prize for Best Novel with Romantic Elements and Indie Book Bargains’ Best Indie Book of 2012 in two categories. She was the winner of Best Children’s Book in the 2013 eFestival of Words; nominated for the 2015 BigAl’s Books and Pals Young Adult Readers’ Choice Award; winner of the Crime, Thrillers & Mystery Book from a Series Award in the SpaSpa Book Awards 2013; winner of the Readers’ Favorite Young Adult (Coming of Age) Honorable award in 2015; a New Adult finalist in the Oklahoma Romance Writers of America’s International Digital Awards 2015, and 2017 International Thriller Writers Award finalist for Best E-book Original Novel. Her novella Trafficked: The Diary of a Sex Slave has been listed as one of the top forty books about human rights by Accredited Online Colleges.

For Sibel’s latest book releases, giveaways and gossip, sign up to her newsletter at www.sibelhodge.com/contact-followme.php.

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MY SIBEL HODGE REVIEWS

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All Good Things Must Come To An End – Ten by Jane Blythe @jblytheauthor

Posted on July 29, 2019 by fundinmental

It’s the end of the Count To Ten series by Jane Blythe and I am so sad to say goodbye to some characters that I have known and loved for a long time. Jane Blythe found me through another, in her word, amazing blogger and I can only say thank you to whoever it was, because I have been loving Jane since 2016 because of them. I eat her books up like M&M candies. If you have tried her work, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, and are a thriller lover, than I recommend you give her a try.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I turn my Kindle on, search for Ten by Jane Blythe, then click the cover with trepidation. I have been following Jane Blythe’s Count To Ten journey since 2016 and I am eager, yet hesitant to begin, wanting to know the end, yet wondering if it will meet all my expectations. Fair or not, I have set the bar high for Jane Blythe…and I am so happy to say that even though I hate to see the journey come to and end, I am very sad, yet satisfied with the end. She not only met my expectations, she exceeded them.

An electrifying beginning and it doesn’t take long for the bodies to start falling and I am fearful of those characters I have come to care so much about.

Tessa…independent, reclusive, strong…she has been through so much, yet Jane is done with her yet. She’s and urban legend.

JANE JANE JANE! You’re breaking my heart. Hope you enjoyed your killing spree.

He sure isn’t what I expected, but now I am even more worried about my family. You have put them through hell, but the horror just keeps on coming. I must be almost as bad as you because I sure do love reading what you write. The darker, the better, and you paint a bleak picture with your words.

I am almost half way in and I cannot begin to guess at what is to come. Whether it’s because I don’t want to know or face it, I would have to stop long enough to think about it…and I can’t seem to do that.

These characters cannot get a break. Maybe it is time to end the series, Jane, while some of them are still standing. I kinda smiled when I typed that. How evil am I? Will any of them find a happy ever after? How will Jane Blythe wrap it up? Will it have a casket or a pretty bow?

NO NO NO! At 85% tears are falling down my face. I am soooo sad.

OH NO! More tears. I finally gathered my self together, thinking the worst is over…

Jane, woman, OMG, you’re killing me…And it’s still not over.

I laughed, I cried. And I want more. Thank goodness, she has a new series coming, Broken Gems and Cracked Sapphire is due for release in February of 2020.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Ten by Jane Blythe.

GOODREADS BLURB

They say time heals all wounds.

Tessa Micah is snatched from her bed in the middle of the night. She manages to make a phone call to her best friend, the partner of her deceased police officer husband, before she disappears. Tessa has a complicated past and as the widow of a decorated cop, there are a long list of suspects. Retired detective, Skylar Wyatt, is determined to find her and honor the promise he made to his partner; to protect and care for his wife should anything ever happen to him.

Then people connected to Tessa start getting murdered. The cops don’t know who from her past is targeting her, or if it has something to do with her dead husband’s cases. With time running out, and more bodies falling, vocations will be questioned, futures reassessed, and not everyone will survive.

** Warning: Graphic violence and themes of sexual assault/abuse **

ABOUT JANE BLYTHE

Jane has loved reading and writing since she can remember. She writes dark and disturbing crime/mystery/suspense with some romance thrown in because, well, who doesn’t love romance? She has one completed series, Detective Parker Bell, and one new series, Count to Ten.

When she’s not writing Jane loves to read, bake, go to the beach, ski, horse ride, and watch Disney movies. She has a black belt in Taekwondo, and a 200+ collection of teddy bears. She has the world’s two most sweet and pretty Dalmatians, Ivory and Pearl. Oh, and she also enjoys spending time with family and friends!

Website / Twitter / Facebook

MY REVIEWS FOR JANE BLYTHE’S BOOKS

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Christmas In July – Winter Wonderland by Jane Blythe @jblytheauthor

Posted on July 22, 2019 by fundinmental

There is more happening in July than the beach, so let’s celebrate Christmas In July with Jane Blythe’s Winter Wonderland. I love the old time feel of the cover and, of course, the bullet holes got my attention.

Winter Wonderland (Detective Parker Bell #2)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The chills will come from more than the Winter Wonderland and Jane does manage to give me a steady supply. Though Winter Wonderland is the second book, Jane recaps Book I, A Secret To The Grave.

We start out with screeching tires and a screaming voice on a cold winter’s night. Did we get your attention? Made me sit up straight.

Detective Parker Bell is a very patient man and he will need all of that for his love interest, Tess. She is super private, not sharing her nightmares that haunt her sleep. She has a knack for reading people and can whip up a scrumptious pancake. The only place she feels safe is in Parker’s arms, but even her love for him has not overcome her trust issues. Parker can wait, he is strong, heroic, determined, loving…and did I say patient.

THE ICEMAN IS BACK…”death or capture, those are the only things that will end this…”

Jane Blythe does a fabulous job with the description of HIS hiding place. You will have to find it for yourself, though.

The ease with which HE creeps through the houses and takes THEM makes me wonder how that would work in real life. I love a book that gets my mind revved up, and Jane Blythe is doing it just fine. I can’t imagine how terrifying it would be to wake up, gasping for breath, a gun pointed at my head.

The past keeps coming back, complicating an already complicated scenario. The poor girls. I can’t imagine how they felt, the utter hopelessness, helplessness…

So freakin’ creepy. Never a dull moment. It may seem easy, at times, to decipher the plot, but Jane Blythe will NOT reveal HIM, until she is good and ready…and I do love that about her. Is she setting me up for something? Wouldn’t surprise me a bit.

I am only now at 42%…and Parker…WTF?

Wave after wave of shocks and surprises flow through the pages. Good luck trying to figure it out before Jane is ready to tell you. I wanted to scream and yell at them, tell them to look…please look…think Tessa, she told you…

Think the story is over, brace yourself. I did. One shock after another. Danger, threats…doesn’t quit, but I do see something good coming out of it. I could not stop reading. Kept me guessing who would live and who would die. Teeth gritting tenseness, gripping the kindle tightly, wishing, hoping…Can’t die…Can’t die…

Whew. I feel rode hard and put up wet.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Winter Wonderland by Jane Blythe.

GOODREADS BLURB

When winter comes this killer comes out of hiding.

With the city in the grips of Iceman fuelled terror, Detective Parker Bell is handed the task of finding a killer who is meticulous enough to leave behind no physical evidence and self-controlled enough to lie dormant through spring, summer and fall. While hunting the serial killer Parker must also balance his fledgling relationship with Tessa Micah, who is still struggling to deal with the emotional backlash of her own encounter with a madman.

Tessa Micah is fighting to put the past behind her. She is trying to focus on the positives, she has fallen in love, she has friends to support her, she can have the future that she always dreamed of but never thought she would have. But she can only get it if she can learn to let go, move forward, and let her past be just that-her past. Her chance to do that might be ripped away from her when a killer targets her as the next victim.

** Warning: Graphic violence and themes of sexual assault/abuse **

ABOUT JANE BLYTHE

Website / Twitter / Facebook

MY REVIEWS FOR JANE BLYTHE’S BOOKS

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

A Kidnapping & A Conspiracy – 3 Lies by Helen Hanson @HelenHanson

Posted on January 3, 2019 by fundinmental

Continue reading →

Unputdownable! – In The Dark by Chris Patchell @chris_patchell

Posted on March 16, 2018 by fundinmental

Continue reading →

Paralyzed By Fear – Four by Jane Blythe @jblytheauthor

Posted on December 21, 2017 by fundinmental

Jane Blythe has become a must read author for me. I don’t know how she escaped my attention before I started blogging, but you are in my sights now, Jane.

If you are a romantic suspense lover, these are must reads for your TBR.

Goodreads / Amazon

MY REVIEW

I have been reading the Count to Ten series by Jane Blythe and I am so happy to be back with old friends and meeting new ones. Each story of the series focuses on a particular couple with supporting characters playing their roles. These romantic suspense novels stand alone, but I believe once you start, you won’t be able to stop, so I recommend beginning at the beginning.

I’m back with Jack Xander and we have another dead body. It’s murder!

I love his trusty sidekick Rose.

Jack and Rose are a great team. He has a calming presence and a way to get the most out of the victim’s and witnesses and I love that she deals with the suspects.

He seemed to want a family, yet was haunted by something in his past, keeping him from having a meaningful relationship. She is happy go lucky, enjoying the single life.

Laura is agoraphobic and has spent the last ten years of her life in her apartment, cut off from the outside world…by choice. I know where this is going, but Jane Blythe’s writing draws me in, letting the creepiness and suspense build.

I love the cast of characters that hold each other up when they need support and kick some ass when they are in danger.

The villain…Ooooo I love that evil mofo too. Cocky, sneaky, elusive and bold. How he’ll get the one he wants is a frightening climb to the ultimate goal…her death…and there are those determined to stop him.

I had a couple problems with a characters actions, but, hey, ya never know what you’ll do til you walk in their shoes.

A sense of menace permeates every page…lurking….creating an overwhelming sense of anticipation. I know the shit will hit the fan, I just don’t know when and how. I love the edge of my seat reading, faster and faster fly the words, because I can hardly wait to get there.

I may need a tissue to finish this.

I love damaged characters that rise to the occasion. I love the dark and disturbing, and Jane Blythe is happy to oblige. I love an author jerking my chain, making me know I don’t have all the answers and I was brought up short when the action reached its zenith.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Four by Jane Blythe.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Detective Jack Xander and his partner are investigating the sudden spate of crimes at an apartment building, but every time they think they’re making progress another assault leads them in a completely different direction. As they hunt for the killer’s real target Jack is about to come face to face with someone from his past he thought he’d never set eyes on again.

Ten years ago Laura Opal endured a four day long ordeal that left her broken and traumatized. But the men who hurt her were caught, tried, found guilty and imprisoned, so what’s happening in her apartment building doesn’t have anything to do with her. She’s sure of it.

** Warning: Graphic violence and themes of sexual assault/abuse **

ABOUT JANE BLYTHE

Website / Twitter / Facebook

MY REVIEWS FOR JANE BLYTHE’S BOOKS

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Giveaway – Protecting Her Secret Son by Regan Black @ReganBlack @GoddessFish

Posted on November 8, 2017 by fundinmental

Protecting Her Secret Son by Regan Black

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GENRE: Contemporary Romantic Suspense

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB

Shannon Nolan thought she’d escaped a nightmare world of ruthless crime – until her son is kidnapped! With nowhere else to run and no one else to trust, she puts her life in the hands of her boss, firefighter Daniel Jennings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPT

In her back pocket, her cell phone buzzed, belting out the old-school ringtone she used for unknown calls and text messages. She set aside the paint cup and pulled out her phone, swiping the screen to view the text.

No words, only a picture of her son. He was strapped into a car seat, his shirt rumpled, his pale blond hair windblown, and his cheeks and eyes were red. His lashes were spiked with tears and his lower lip thrust forward in a pout.

What had happened? Then she realized what she was looking at and her heart thudded in her chest. Staggered, terrified by her worst fears, she dropped the phone as she doubled over, clutching her stomach as if she’d taken a punch.

Daniel caught the phone and steadied her with a hand at her elbow. “Shannon? What’s wrong?”

“I—I’m not sure.”

The ringtone sounded as another text came in and she grabbed the phone from Daniel.

If you want to see your son again, tell his father to cooperate.

Her stomach clenched and she clapped a hand over her mouth. Whoever was behind this had chosen the wrong leverage. She’d never had any influence over Aiden’s father. Naturally, the sender’s number was blocked, but she hit the icon to call back anyway. It rang and rang, and no one answered.

“I have to go,” she said.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Regan Black, a USA Today bestselling author, writes award-winning, action-packed romantic suspense and paranormal romance novels featuring daring heroines and sexy heroes. Raised in the Midwest and California, she and her family, along with their adopted greyhound and two arrogant cats, reside in the South Carolina Lowcountry where the rich blend of legend, romance, and history fuels her imagination.

Website / Newsletter / Twitter / Facebook

Pinterest / Amazon / B&N / iBooks

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the tour and comment, the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Follow the tour HERE.

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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Giveaway & Reviews for Marred & Cleaved by Sue Coletta @SueColetta1 @SilverDaggerSxx

Posted on April 27, 2017 by fundinmental

If you are looking for a fabulous and informative crime and thriller blog to follow, look no further. I have been a follower of Sue Coletta’s for some time now, so I was super excited to get my hands on Marred and Cleaved.

Just check out the covers by EJR Digital Art!

Cleaved

Grafton County Series, Book 2

by Sue Coletta

Genre: Thriller, Suspense

I just finished MARRED and it blew me away, so there was no way I was going to wait to read CLEAVED. I have to have more!

I love anything to do with water, and when I saw the Marine Patrol and Fish & Game would be involved, I became even more excited. I know what water can do to a dead body and I’m looking forward to finding out who put it there.

Sue starts her books out with a bang and I am gasping for breath right along with Sage. Then, Sue takes it to an even darker place and I excited to see how it will play out.

I feel as if the characters have become my friends and I worry for them as the serial killer adds body after body and the action continues non stop.

Sage has great instincts and after all she has been through, she listens to them.

Frankie has become my favorite character. She is humorous, brash, dresses as if she’s going out on the town instead of to a crime scene, hates authority and is quick with a sharp retort. Niko doesn’t think she would be good as the Sheriff because of these faults, so he is constantly grooming someone else to take his place when he quits.

Niko’s team has a Keystone Kop, Mayberry feel to them, but they are coming together, making constant progress.

The serial killer is back with a vengeance and I wonder if it is the same one…or is there more than one.

Sue Coletta takes us to a very dark place with a kidnapping that would make any of us cringe and rage at the villain and the world.

I love how creative Sue is in coming up with new ways for the serial killer to torture and kill his victims, really making them suffer and beg for death. She never thinks the evil is bad enough, so she piles on more and more and more…

Her ability to create so much tension and angst, at times left me white knuckled, gripping my Kindle so tight my hands hurt, making me want to reach through the screen and take matters into my own hands.

I voluntarily reviewed Marred by Sue Coletta.

5 STARS

Author Sage Quintano writes about crime. Her husband Niko investigates it.
Together they make an unstoppable team. But no one counted on a
twisted serial killer, who stalks their sleepy community, uproots
their happy home, and splits the threads that bonds their family
unit.

Darkness swallows the Quintanos whole—ensnared by a ruthless killer out for
blood. Why he focused on Sage remains a mystery, but he won’t stop
till she dies like the others.

Women impaled by deer antlers, bodies encased in oil drums, nursery rhymes,
and the Suicide King. What connects these cryptic clues? For Sage and
Niko, the truth may be more terrifying than they ever imagined.

Goodreads * Amazon

Marred

Grafton County Series, Book 1

Marred by Sue Coletta starts out with a baby’s funeral and a severely broken woman who is pissed off at herself and the world because of it. I can’t help but wonder WHY.

Sage is broken in more ways than one…blaming herself for her unborn baby’s death even though she had been tortured by a serial killer and was lucky to even be alive. She is MARRED for life and now I understand why.

NOW, he’s back, terrorizing her and she has nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

I cannot imagine what she has been through, though Sue Coletta’s writing makes me become totally engrossed in her story, filled with details that draw a too vivid picture in my mind. I think it is time she takes matters into her own hands and let him know she will not cow down…this time. I love when the character has been through a traumatic, life changing experience, and the past comes back to haunt them, demanding they take action to defend themselves.

Sage is a bestselling author, writing crime novels, and this adds an extra element, making it even more interesting. Does her writing bring the killer even closer, thinking of her as a challenge? She keeps secrets, pushing people away, even keeping her husband at arm’s length. She writes about crime and her husband investigates the.

The murders are described in detail and they are brutal, savage. The more gruesome the better for me. LOL I guess I am a little twisted myself.

The body count rises.

I’m almost at 50% and I see what you are doing Sue. I know what you set me up for and I think it’s going to get ugly. I am pissed off at both of them for not communicating, but if they did we wouldn’t be in this dark place, with a sense of urgency and danger making me want to read faster and slower all at the same time, savoring the story.

There is a touch of the paranormal, rape, brutal and mind numbing torture. Why do women and society place blame on the vivctim, when it is the villain’s fault?

At times I am so angry with Niko that I want to reach into my Kindle and slap him upside the head, cuss him out, and tell him, “It’s not about YOU!”

Having a couple of critters adds another element that I love. They’d put their lives on the line for her.

Uh oh, I am glad that what I was thinking at 50% was wrong. Sue…you did a great job of yanking my chain and it takes a lot to lead me down the wrong path. Fabulous!

Deputy Sheriff Frankie, a female, is becoming a favorite character for me. To say she is rough around the edges is putting it mildly. She is aggressive and a bit raunchy, but I wouldn’t want any one else by my side in a time of crises.

WOW, Sue. You can sure spin a tale that has a lot of suspense that keeps my emotions raging as I struggle to take a calming breath before moving on to more of the same. You twisted and turned the story, keeping plenty of surprises coming my way.

Marred is the first book in the Grafton County series. One villain is taken care of, but you will want to read more of the series, because one remains.

I voluntarily reviewed Marred by Sue Coletta.

5 STARS

When a serial killer breaks into the home of bestselling author, Sage
Quintano, she barely escapes with her life. Her husband, Niko, a
homicide detective, insists they move to rural New Hampshire, where
he accepts a position as Grafton County Sheriff. Sage buries secrets
from that night—secrets she swears to take to her deathbed.

Three years of anguish and painful memories pass, and a grisly murder case
lands on Niko’s desk. A strange caller begins tormenting Sage—she
can’t outrun the past.

When Sage’s twin sister suddenly goes missing, Sage searches Niko’s
case files and discovers similarities to the Boston killer. A
sadistic psychopath is preying on innocent women, marring their
bodies in unspeakable ways. And now, he has her sister.

Cryptic clues. Hidden messages. Is the killer hinting at his identity? Or is
he trying to lure Sage into a deadly trap to end his reign of terror
with a matching set of corpses?

Goodreads * Amazon

ABOUT SUE COLETTA

Member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International
Thriller Writers, Sue Coletta is an award-winning, multi-published
author in numerous anthologies and her forensics articles have
appeared in InSinC Quarterly. In addition to her popular crime
resource blog, Sue co-hosts the radio show “Partners In Crime”
on Writestream Radio Network every third Tuesday of the month from 1
– 3 p.m. EDT/EST (see details at www.suecoletta.com).
She’s also the communications manager for the Serial Killer Project
and Forensic Science, and founder of #ACrimeChat on Twitter.

She runs a popular crime website and blog, where she shares crime tips,
police jargon, the mind of serial killers, and anything and
everything in between. If you search her achieves, you’ll find posts
from guests that work in law enforcement, forensics, coroner,
undercover operatives, firearm experts…crime, crime, and more
crime.

For readers, she has the Crime Lover’s Lounge, where subscribers will be
the first to know about free giveaways, contests, and have inside
access to deleted scenes. As an added bonus, members get to play in
the lounge. Your secret code will unlock the virtual door. Inside,
like-minded folks discuss their favorite crime novels, solve
mindbender and mystery puzzles, and/or relax and chat. Most
importantly, everyone has a lot of fun.

Sue lives in northern New Hampshire with her husband, where her house is
surrounded by wildlife…bear, moose, deer, even mountain lions have
been spotted. Course, Sue would love to snuggle with them, but her
husband frowns on the idea.

Website * Facebook Author Page * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest

Google+ * Youtube * Amazon * Goodreads

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Serial Killers Run Amok In The Count To Ten series by Jane Blythe @jblytheauthor

Posted on April 26, 2017 by fundinmental

The simple covers for Jane Blythe’s Count To Ten series speak to me and, of course, reading about serial killers is always a high priority.

I love dark stories, the darker, the better.

One…

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW FOR ONE

I love dark stories with murder and serial killers running wild, and Jane Blythe has come through in this fantastic series. This guy is a real sicko. Only death will stop him.

Right off, I’m thinking…Oh no she didn’t…

Yes, he fell for her and yes, there’s a lot more gory and brutal murder to come.

Who is it? Why such grotesque murders?

I have a problem with Annabelle and Xavier hooking up, but hey, stranger things have happened. He seems too old for a naive, inexperienced young woman like her. I like my books to be ‘realistic’ and, even though I enjoyed how it developed, not just jumping in bed, but the slow and getting to know you kind of thing, something still felt off.

Annabelle ‘s dialogue made her seem older than her years, but maybe the traumatic events she has been though have caused her to grow up sooner. After all, she had been the adult of her household.

I love the fact I can’t figure out who is the culprit, even though I feel I must have met him by now. I do have a feeling…oh, wait, maybe it’s him…or could it be him?

The sicko wants revenge and I want to know why.

The twists and turns kept coming, never letting up, even when the last page was read. I DID NOT want it to end. Jane Blythe was ‘this close’ to having me rate this a five and I definitely look forward to reading more of her work.

I voluntarily reviewed One by Jane Blythe.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Annabelle Englewood slaughters her family while they sleep.

Or so it seems to Detective Xavier Montague when he and his partner arrive at her house to find her sleeping peacefully, her family all dead.

But then another family and another are murdered, again with one family member left alive, and it becomes clear that Annabelle is simply a pawn in a vicious killer’s game.

Intrigued by Annabelle, the first woman Xavier has been attracted to since his divorce, when he comes face to face with the killer he will be forced to make the ultimate choice, a life and death decision, that could let a psychotic murderer walk free.

~~~~~~

Two…

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW FOR TWO

Jane Blythe writes of serial killers and grotesque murders and I LOVE it.

Brooke Mariano is a pregnant teenager with dreams of wealth and leisure and her life is snuffed out like a candle, all to keep a secret, a secret I want to be revealed and the guilty party to pay for it.

I like that Ryan’s interest in Sophia began before they were shoved together because of the murder. Her mysterious illness may seem to make her weak, but she is strong enough and determined enough to live on her own, disinherited by her rich father because she has a mind of her own. I love strong, independent female protagonists, and Sophia is spot on. I hate men that act like dictators and feel women are supposed to fall in line.

The body count grows and so does the suspect list. I love to be kept guessing and Jane Blythe is very good at doing that. Was someone in the family eliminating other members? If so, why? Most of them are wretched, miserable, pathetic excuses for human beings, so, in my book, none of them would be missed. LOL

Sometimes those surrounding the killer are worse than the killer himself.

When they go into the room…

Jane Blythe’s use of misdirection is very well done.

I can easily visualize events as they unfolded, as if a Criminal Minds episode was playing in front of me. It is so easy to picture Sophia…in a wheelchair, hunched over, looking at photos…But…I do hate a character I am growing very fond of making such a predictable and stupid error. Now, I am pissed at her. Is it my personal feelings keeping these ratings at fours, where others would rate them higher? It’s up to you to decide.

The book has an ending , but Three will bring One and Two together in a reunion I do not want to miss. I can hardly imagine where Jane will take it and I am rubbing my hand together in glee just thinking about it.

I voluntarily reviewed Two by Jane Blythe.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Before the sun rises, another will fall.

When Brooke Mariano is found murdered on the grounds of the powerful Everette family’s estate, it looks at first as though she may have been killed in order to keep the paternity of her unborn child a secret.

However, when another member of the Everette family turns up dead each night, it quickly becomes a race against time as Detective Ryan Xander and his partner try to discover which member of the family is the killer before the entire clan wind up dead.

Ryan’s only inroad to the secretive family is Sofia Everette. Shunned by her father for her refusals to obey him, and battling a mysterious illness, Sofia’s childhood dreams may be the key to saving her life and stopping the killer from exterminating the entire Everette family.

ABOUT JANE BLYTHE

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Friday 56 #117 – Mind Prey by John Sanford @J_Sandford

Posted on January 27, 2017 by fundinmental

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~

A messy bookshelf is the norm around the Fundin household. I just cannot help but pick up another book and another and another…

I have a few of John Sanford’s novels, of which Mind Prey is one. I bought this quite some time ago from the Mobile Public Library. I have also checked out many other books by him and have enjoyed each and every one.

I need to get back to the library and catch up on his latest.

Have you read any of his work?

Amazon / Goodreads

My 56

Then he was on her, slamming her back against the stone wall, ripping at her jacket, at her blouse. She screamed at him, “No, don’t, John…”

(Page 56 in hardcover,1st edition, published in 1995)

Book Beginnings

The storm blew up late in the afternoon, tight, gray clouds hustling over the lake like dirty, balled-up sweat socks spilling from a basket. A chilly wind knocked leaves from the elms, oaks, and maples at the water’s edge. The white phlox and black-eyed susans bowed their heads before it.

GOODREADS BLURB: From the bestselling author of Night Prey and Winter Prey…an all-new Lucas Davenport thriller.

Run for it…It was raining when psychiatrist Andi Manette left the parent-teacher conference with her two young daughters, and she was distracted. She barely noticed the red van parked beside her, barely noticed the van door slide open as they dashed up to the car. The last thing she did notice was the hand reaching out for her and the voice from out of the past — and then the three of them were gone.

Hours later, deputy chief Lucas Davenport stood in the parking lot, a blood-stained shoe in his hand, the ground stained pink around him, and knew that this would be one of the worst cases he’d ever been on. With an urgency born of dread, he presses the attack, while in an isolated farmhouse, Andi Manette does the same, summoning all her skills to battle an obsessed captor. She knows the man who has taken her and her daughters, knows there is a chink in his armor, if only she can find it. But for both her and Davenport, time is already running out.

John Sandford’s novels have always been extraordinary for their harrowing twists, unforgettable characters, and crackling prose. But Mind Prey tops them all. It is the work of a true master.