Tag Archives: serial killer

Review – Truly Darkly Deeply by Victoria Selman @VictoriaSelman #psychologicalthriller

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Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

The cover and title grabbed me, and when I read the blurb I knew I had to have it. I love reading about serial killers, but Truly Darkly Deeply by Victoria Selman is different from the usual fair…it’s about those left behind that have to deal with the fallout of someone they loved being a vicious, cruel killer.

Sophie meets Matty Melaren when she is twelve years old and falls in love with him. She looks at him as her dad, seeing she never knew her real dad. Her mother keeps secrets from her, and we all know that secrets never stay buried. They may have, if Sophie wasn’t determined to get answers and makes a trip to Battlemouth Prison, where Matty is incarcerated. He delighted in spilling the beans.

Truly Darkly Deeply by Victoria Selman deals with the emotional turmoil and devastation that Sophie and her mother, Amelia Rose suffer when Matty is imprisoned. Friends and neighbors shun them. Many tear filled sleepless nights dog them both. Even reading about it, I cannot imagine the anguish they go through.

There was no secret that Matty Melaren was a serial killer. When I first began reading, I was a bit disappointed because Matty was not the star. The more I read, the more I found that Sophie is the star and to walk in her shoes, or try to, the more I loved her. It may seem there won’t be any twists and turns, but I can promise you….THERE IS! The ending was amazing!!!!!!! I never saw it coming!!!!!! I urge you not to peek, because the ending is worth waiting for.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Truly Darkly Deeply by Victoria Selman.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

12-year-old Sophie and her mother, Amelia-Rose, move to London from Massachusetts where they meet the charismatic Matty Melgren, who quickly becomes an intrinsic part of their lives. But as the relationship between the two adults fractures, a serial killer begins targeting young women with a striking resemblance to Amelia-Rose.

When Matty is eventually sent down for multiple murders, questions remain as to his guilt — questions which ultimately destroy both women. Nearly twenty years later, Sophie receives a letter from Battlemouth Prison informing her Matty is dying and wants to meet. It looks like Sophie might finally get the answers she craves. But will the truth set her free — or bury her deeper?

ABOUT VICTORIA SELMAN (from her website)

“Victoria Selman is an exciting and powerfully fresh voice”—PATRICIA CORNWELL

Victoria Selman is the author of the critically acclaimed Ziba MacKenzie series. Her debut novel, Blood for Blood, was shortlisted for the prestigious CWA Debut Dagger Award and an Amazon Charts #1 bestseller for five weeks, selling over half a million copies.

Victoria has written for the Independent, co-hosts Crime Time FM, compiles the Afraid of the Light charity anthology series and was shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award.

Her first latest thriller, Truly Darkly Deeply, was published as Quercus’ flagship title in July 2022 and was an instant Sunday Times bestseller.

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Giveaway – Through The Veneer Of Time by Vera Bell @XpressoTours @VeraBellAuthor

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Through the Veneer of Time
Vera Bell
Publication date: April 10th 2023
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense, Time-Travel

If not for “The Ghost”—her FBI husband’s gruesome case—Siena Forte’s life would have been perfect. But not when the D.C. serial killer is hunting women like her, and when her husband is so unsettled by this case, he refuses to discuss it. It’s a miracle her art career is thriving at all. And not only her career. When Siena lands a medieval mural commission at the National Gallery of Art, she discovers a bizarre knack for astral projecting to her past life. In a lucky strike, her visions of love and prominence in medieval Ireland are just the creative inspiration she seeks.

What Siena doesn’t know is her vivid depiction of the past exposes her to someone she has met before—the serial killer, reborn in this century just like her. But when a vicious attack from the past reverberates into the present, Siena’s life unravels in a chilling parallel. Silenced and alone, she discovers the true reason for her visions. They’re not the creative inspiration they seemed, but a harbinger of her centuries-old revenge vow, and the killer cannot be stopped until she fulfills it. But there is another person from the past with unfinished business—her husband. And another unwelcome déjà vu—their crumbling marriage, once again precipitated by the serial killer’s crime.

Does Siena have what it takes to carry out her ancient vow?

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

His words were a blast that made something inside me snap. Why couldn’t I unlock my eyes from his? Unclench my knees despite an unbearable compulsion to run? I dug my fingernails into my sweaty palms to break the paralysis, drove the graphite shards into my flesh.

“Do you ever wonder what becomes of your characters?” His vacuous smile didn’t reach his eyes. “What comes after your painstaking freeze-frame? Your warrior—” He pointed his chin at the mural. “He’s cocky, but he doesn’t know what he’s riding into. Yet hours from now, he could be lying in some field, stripped of his weapons, bleeding out into the ground as the vultures peck at his baby blues.” His eyes widened. “Leaving his beautiful young widow all alone.”

His impossibly soft voice was a ringing blow in my ears. A tremor braced my throat. I drew a frantic breath against it.

“I’m sorry,” I squeezed out, “I’m not sure I follow.”

“I’m sure you do.” He chuckled. “But don’t look so stricken, Siena Forte. It’s only a painting, a fantasy. Nothing more.”

“Excuse me…” I edged past him, cold all over.

I rushed into the nearest restroom, tossed the broken graphite into the trash can, and locked myself in a stall. I hugged myself. Tight. Tighter. Gasped for air, not drawing any. My vision swam at the edges. Flickering. Fading. My heart thudded, and breath came faster in my chest, choking me.

Fragments of his words whirred around me, and I grasped my head to stop the awful cacophony. But it wouldn’t stop. The image he drew cut like a knife, piercing through something soft and vulnerable inside. Something I’d buried deep down and wished to keep that way. But he’d driven it to the surface and laid it out in the open, raw and exposed.

Someone entered the restroom, and I froze at the squeak of the adjoining stall door. But it was only a pair of black pumps through the divider gap. Heartbeat in my ears, I dropped the toilet lid and sat down.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat.

Worgen was a narcissistic egomaniac, pissed off at not getting his way. Certainly, he could neither read my mind nor know anything about my visions. He was messing with me. Of course, he was! Pygmalion was a mythical sculptor, whose ivory creation came to life after he’d fallen in love with her. And here I was, a female artist, painting a man. As for the widow, it wasn’t a big leap to imagine a handsome warrior leaving a young wife at home. Worgen didn’t have to know about me to understand this mental image would upset me.

I couldn’t tell how long I stayed in the restroom, but I emerged more determined than ever to continue with my project. I only needed to go outside and get some fresh air first. But Worgen was still there, talking to a visitor, and the only way out was past him.

I clenched my jaw and went toward them.


Author Bio:

Vera Bell is the author of the time-travel romance trilogy Always & Forever, set in sixteenth-century Ireland and present-day United States. Book One, “Through the Veneer of Time,” is her debut novel. Besides being a writer, she is a wife to her high-school sweetheart, a mother to two teenagers and one fur baby, a former commercial artist and boutique owner, and a member of the Historical Novel Society, Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Romance Writers of America. Her favorite place to write is on her porch, overlooking a pond lined with river birches and magnolias. The topics she never tires of are Ireland, past lives, and love that transcends time and space.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub


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Giveaway & Review – Fool Her Once by Joanna Elm @ireadbooktours @authorjoannaelm

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 Book Details:


Book Title:  Fool Her Once (A Novel) by Joanna Elm
Category:  Adult Fiction (18 +), 416 pages 
Genre:  Thriller
Publisher:  CamCat Books
Release date:   Feb, 2023
Content Rating:  PG-13 + M. There’s adultery, language, some sexual content, and violent crime, but no explicit descriptions of the crimes.

MY REVIEW

I love the great cover for Fool Her Once and it fits the story. The dark and eerie cover fits the description of the characters inside. It seems they all have secrets they want kept.

Jenna Sinclair’s life is a convoluted mess. Jenna bounces between two men. She does have a knack for tracking people down and now that her past seems to be knocking at her door, she will have to find the answers for herself.

When Ryan is attacked outside her building, she believes that Denny Dennison’s son has come to make her pay for outing him and ruining his life. But, Jenna and Ryan had recently done an expose on restaurants, so the list of suspects is long. I do believe Joanna Elm threw a red herring my way, diverting me from a line of questioning that may have revealed the true villain before she gave me the answer.

She had outed a serial killer’s son, and now she thinks he has come back for revenge. Can killer genes be inherited, making someone evil? Can the children of serial killers become serial killers themselves? Bad genes, bad seeds?

She is married to Zack and has a daughter by him. Dollie sides with her father, but with an absentee mother, always at work in the city, that makes sense.

My thoughts were right and wrong at the same time. How wonderful for the story. What a great twist. I know the truth, but Jenna does not and does her own research, leaving no stone unturned. As the truth unfolds, I can’t help but smile. I love when I don’t have all the answers for myself and need some assistance from the author.

As I am nearing the end, my feelings for Jenna change. I am thinking she is an idiot. I can’t explain more, but I felt I gave her too much credit, believing she was clever, would find the answers and make the right choice.

Then, Jenna and Joanna Elm redeemed themselves in a big way. I guess we humans see what we want to see, trying to make the best of a bad situation. I wonder what you would think?

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Fool Her Once by Joanna Elm.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

Book Description:

Some killers are born. Others are made.

As a rookie tabloid reporter, Jenna Sinclair made a tragic mistake when she outed Denny Dennison, the illegitimate son of an executed serial killer. So she hid behind her marriage and motherhood. Now, decades later, betrayed by her husband and resented by her teenage daughter, Jenna decides to resurrect her career—and returns to the city she loves.

When her former lover is brutally assaulted outside Jenna’s NYC apartment building, Jenna suspects that Denny has inherited his father’s psychopath gene and is out for revenge. She knows she must track him down before he can harm his next target, her daughter.

Meanwhile, her estranged husband, Zack, fears that her investigative reporting skills will unearth his own devastating secret he’d kept buried in the past.

From New York City to the remote North Fork of Long Island and the murky waters surrounding it, Jenna rushes to uncover the terrible truth about a psychopath and realizes her own investigation may save or destroy her family.
Buy the Book:
CamCat Books
Audible ~ Amazon
B&N ~ IndieBound ~ BookShop
BookBub
add to goodreads

Meet the Author:

Joanna Elm is an author, journalist, blogger, and attorney. Before the publication of her first two suspense novels (Scandal, Tor/Forge 1996); (Delusion, Tor/Forge/1997), she was an investigative journalist on the London Evening News on Fleet Street in the U.K. She also wrote for British magazines like Woman’s Own.

Then, she moved to New York where she worked as a writer/producer for television news and tabloid TV programs like “A Current Affair.” She was also the researcher/writer for WNEW-TV’s Emmy-award-winning documentary “Irish Eyes.” In 1980, she joined the Star as a reporter, eventually becoming the magazine’s news editor and managing editor before moving to Philadelphia as editor of the news/features section of TV Guide.

After completing her first two novels while living in South Florida, (Nelson DeMille described Scandal as “fresh, original and unpredictable”) Joanna returned to New York, enrolled in law school, graduated summa cum laude, passed the NY Bar exam, and worked as a principal law clerk for an appellate division justice in the prestigious First Department. She has been married to her husband Joe for 35 years and has one son.

connect with the author: website ~ instagram ~ twitter ~ bookbub ~ goodreads
FOOL HER ONCE Book Tour Giveaway



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Giveaway & Review – Pretty Evil by Zoe Rosi #PrettyEvil #NetGalley @XpressoTours

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I want to thank NetGalley and AmazonPublishingUK for the opportunity to read and review Pretty Evil by Zoe Rosi. Doesn’t this cover speak to you?

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Everything about Pretty Evil by Zoe Rosi spoke to me, the fabulous cover and title, the blurb that did nothing but whet my appetite. I love villains, especially when there is a strong, female protagonist to make them pay. I love diverse characters, and Camilla qualifies.

I love the cat and mouse game between Camilla, a vigilante serial killer, and Detective Wheelan, who never gives up once he sinks his teeth into a case. I couldn’t see how Zoe Rosi would make me happy, but she did. If I was watching this as a movie or TV series, I would have been talking to Camilla, and she would probably tell me to shut up and sit down. She’s got this. LOL

I love a character that walks to the beat of her own drum. Camilla has remade herself into a fashionista, the editor of Coutoure magazine. Money can make things possible and she takes full advantage of it. She dons a mask, like the clothes she wears.

I’m not into raping rapists. Sometimes I murder them….

The feeling is strange: I feel powerful, knowing he’s at my mercy…is this why men use date rape drugs? I’d always thought it was about getting a guaranteed fuck, but now I see it’s about having a sense of complete control. It’s about being godlike.

Julian…and the roof scene…I had to do a little research to get the gist of what Camilla was going for and I love it. For me, gruesome and brutal, is good. It makes me feel satisfied in a way that real life, many times, does not. If do unto others as you would have others do unto you really applied, maybe people would rethink their actions. That is the wonderful thing about fiction, anything goes.

In Chapter 18, at 94%, I had to put my ereader down. I was reluctant to find out what comes next. I was afraid for her. How can this end in a way where I will be satisfied? Camilla…watch out…but, I should have known that Zoe Rosi was three steps ahead of me…and I LOVE IT! The story can end here, but the character is fascinating, complex, driven, so I could see more coming. Is Camilla talking to you, Zoe? I certainly hope so.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Pretty Evil by Zoe Rosi.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

You’ve done a bad thing. She has you in her sights. Now you’re going to pay.

Meet Camilla Black: an affluent, respected, influential fashion magazine editor, who lives it up in her beautiful Mayfair apartment. But Camilla’s glamorous life is a lie. Behind her poised exterior beats the cold dark heart of a vigilante killer, a murderer hell-bent on wreaking vengeance upon bad men.

Camilla expects to get away with murder. She’s careful. And anyway, it’s worth the risk. She’s making the world a better place with each predator she kills. But when one of her victims’ bodies is unexpectedly found, his gruesome death is splashed all over the papers.

To make matters worse, she’s now being pursued by Detective Wheelan, a new addition to the Met with laser-sharp focus and a worrying habit of solving impossible crimes…

She knows she should stop, but she can’t. Some men just deserve to die. Will Camilla’s insatiable appetite for justice be her downfall, or can she outsmart the police?

Revised edition: Previously published as Predator, this edition of Pretty Evil includes editorial revisions.

Purchase:

ABOUT ZOE ROSI (from NetGalley)

Zoe Rosi has a background in journalism and copywriting. She worked as a reporter for local and national newspapers before moving into the fashion industry as a copywriter. Zoe had four romantic comedies published before writing her debut thriller. It was while working as a fashion copywriter that Zoe had the idea for Pretty Evil, which she describes as The Devil Wears Prada meets American Psycho.

Author links:

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Review – My Daddy The Serial Killer by Cindy Kovacik #CindyKovacik

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The above cover is from an old like I found on Goodreads. The below cover is the newer one. Which do you like better? Me….the top one.

Amazon / Goodreads / B&N

MY REVIEW

OMG! I LOVE the cover and the title….well, it says it all. I knew I had to have it!

Brutal. Bloody. Savage.

An open basement door.

A beach ball.

She was six years old when she ‘met’ her first woman.

Her favorite toy was no longer. Would she be punished for destroying it?

Her daddy had changed…become mean.

Her father writes for the Harlington Post. At first the article would start out innocuous, then take a darker turn. Like the cat that falls out of a tree and is OK, but the boy that tries to save it falls and breaks his arm.

I felt the book could go one of three ways: Become him. Leave him. Kill him.

I quickly became immersed in the story of Katelyn Deason. My heart went out to her. At six years old, she can’t fight back. Even though I loved the story, I felt there were no surprises for me. The writing flowed smoothly. Katelyn grew older. I couldn’t imagine tip toeing around the house, flinching at just the sight of her daddy, no mommy, no friends, being bullied.

I do wonder what happened to her mother, but I think it is pretty easy to surmise her demise. Why does no one come to her aid? Her daddy is a sweet talker, a charmer…until he isn’t.

My Daddy The Serial Killer is the only book I see by Cindy Kovacik, but I must say she did a superb job of grossing me out, pissing me off and keeping me entertained (don’t judge me).

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of My Daddy The Serial Killer by Cindy Kovacik.

4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Katelyn Deason was young, naive, and innocent at six years old.

That is, until she made the mistake of descending those cellar steps and viewing the first of many horrors down below.

You see, her father wasn’t who she thought he was. He wasn’t the loving and “normal” daddy that all the other kids had. He was very different.

She soon realizes how different as the years pass and unspeakable things begin to happen.

Will Katelyn be able to cling to her sanity after witnessing all of Daddy’s horrors?

ABOUT CINDY KOVACIK

Words cannot express how much I love the horror genre. I have finally accomplished a life long goal of writing a horror novel and getting it published. It took a long time and a lot of hard work but was worth it in the end. I am a 35 year old mother who likes to push herself to always do better and work harder. Now that I have a published book, I would like to start writing book #2. My biggest influences have been Stephen King and Edgar Allen Poe. I have been reading and writing since I was a little girl and I hope to continue as I get older and wiser.

Amazon

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YAY…A New I Am Legion Novel: Stranger Sins by Michaelbrent Collings @mbcollings

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I was so excited when I got my hands on a copy of Stranger Sins by Michaelbrent Collings. I have been with Legion from the beginning and eagerly open each book, not knowing what is to come, but sure it will keep me on the edge of my seat.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Yes, Michael, I appreciate the warning your wife suggested you include, but I too like walking on the dark side. I do like being freaked out while I laugh, or laugh while I am freaked out. I love a villain I can be empathetic with, maybe even condone their actions? I do love the blood, guts and carnage that Legion will leave behind. This time, though, he won’t be alone when he does it. That makes Stranger Sins different from the previous books of the series and adds a wonderful element to a series that keeps me on my toes, eager for more.

He is used to pain. He is used to noise. He is used to confusion. But silence?

In this Dexterish style thriller, I am immersed, engulfed, lost, devouring the words, unable to stop reading.

I have been trying to figure out what made ‘Dinatha and Marnie’ so important. It took me a long time, about halfway through, for things to START to come together.

A mother of a nine year old girl, forced to learn things others could never dream of or need to to stay alive and face an evil that will stop at nothing to get all she desires…and needs to stay alive.

I LOVE a dark, disturbing story that can make me smile and give me hope amongst the carnage the ‘teacher’ leaves behind. At 70%, I laughed while wiping the tears from my eyes. It is so hard not to share why, but I WILL NOT spoil things for you. These characters and their lives are things that need to be experienced first hand.

The characters and storyline are so richly developed, the writing and pacing so smooth, the hours pass in a blur, everything around me ignored, because I have to know how it ends. Michaelbrent Collings is always able to surprise me at where his stories lead, making me know when I dive in that I am along for a wicked ride and an ending that leaves me with my mouth hanging open, thinking, wow, how does he dream this stuff up. I would love to be a fly on the wall of his brain. Wonder what a scan of his brain would look like. LOL

THE BEST ONE YET! I can see this series going on for a very long time…and I hope it does.

I believe Stranger Sins is written in a way that it ‘can’ stand alone. Michaelbrent Collings includes Legion’s history that can be a refresher for a faithful reader, or a glimpse into his world for a new reader. That being said, I have been with Legion from the beginning, and highly recommend grabbing the entire series if you enjoy walking the dark side of vigilante justice.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Stranger Sins by Michaelbrent Collings.

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

What happens in Vegas…slays in Vegas.

Legion is a teacher. An avenging angel. A murderer.

A madman.

Raised in the underground hideout of an insane father, he now travels the world searching for those who torment the weak, who harm the innocent. He uncovers the secrets and sins of evildoers, and teaches them how to leave those mistakes behind.

Even if it means killing them to do it.

But this time, the tables have turned. The ghosts of Legion’s past have come for him; the victims of his madness have returned to torment and destroy him. Wounded, weak, near death: for the first time, Legion is not predator, but prey.

Now, aided by a woman and her daughter—who have themselves been surviving in secret terror for a decade—he must survive long enough to battle his past, to destroy the ghosts that have come for his sanity and soul…and to kill all who would harm his new friends.

Tracked by a crime family more twisted than anything he has ever seen, threatened by a madman whose strength is greater than anything he has ever experienced, Legion has never been closer to danger. They want his pain. They want his death. And they will stop at nothing to achieve their aims.

But Legion is a good teacher. So he will run. He will hide.

And then, when the students are ready…he will teach.

And his lessons are always murder.

ABOUT MICHAELBRENT COLLINGS

Michaelbrent Collings

Michaelbrent Collings is an internationally-bestselling novelist, multiple Bram Stoker Award nominee, produced screenwriter, and one of the top indie horror writers in the United States.

He hopes someday to develop superpowers, or, if that is out of the question, then at least to get a cool robot arm.

Michaelbrent has a wife and several kids, all of whom are much better looking than he is (though he admits that’s a low bar to set), and also cooler than he is.

Michaelbrent also has a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/MichaelbrentC… and can be followed on Twitter through his username @mbcollings. Follow him for cool news, updates, and advance notice of sales. You will also be kept safe when the Glorious Revolution begins!

STALK MICHAELBRENT: Website / Twitter

MY MICHAELBRENT COLLINGS REVIEWS

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New Release – Helltown by Casey Sherman @caseysherman123

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Helltown: The Untold Story of Serial Murder on Cape Cod

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Well, this wasn’t quite what I thought it would be. I love reading about serial killers, suspense and thriller fiction and nonfiction. Helltown seems to be a cross between them. It reminds me of the way recreations are done on TV, and I did do some web searching to check on some of the facts. It covers more than the murders. It’s about the 1960s, Cape Cod, Provincetown, the drug culture, hippies…

I have been traveling to the Cape for more than twenty years and I love it. You know exactly where you are by your surroundings, a unique and beautiful place. So many familiar places, I couldn’t help but smile as we drove the roads, ate in the restaurants and…

Can definitely see how far we have advanced when it comes to investigating a murder and how many more tools we have at our disposal.

The police, Kudos to them. Once they established a murder had taken place, they worked together tying the knot around Costa’s neck.

Even though there were fictional elements thrown in, I loved the way it was written. Easy to read, flowing smoothly.

I think a lot of people may have trouble with the recreations and suppositions, and that is why I didn’t rate this higher. It is supposed to be true crime, but it was written like a fictional novel. It was more about the times and the Cape than only a serial killer.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Helltown by Casey Sherman.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

1969: The hippie scene is vibrant in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Long-haired teenagers roam the streets, strumming guitars and preaching about peace and love… and Tony Costa is at the center of it all. To a certain group of smitten young women, he is known as Sire―the leader of their counter-culture movement, the charming man who speaks eloquently and hands out hallucinogenic drugs like candy. But beneath his benign persona lies a twisted and uncontrollable rage that threatens to break loose at any moment. Tony Costa is the most dangerous man on Cape Cod, and no one who crosses his path is safe.

When young women begin to disappear, Costa’s natural charisma and good looks initially protect him from suspicion. But as the bodies are discovered, the police close in on him as the key suspect. Meanwhile, local writers Kurt Vonnegut and Norman Mailer are locked in a desperate race to secure their legacies as great literary icons―and they both set their sights on Tony Costa and the drug-soaked hippie culture that he embodies as their next promising subject, launching independent investigations that stoke the competitive fires between two of the greatest American writers.

Immersive, unflinching, and shocking, Helltown is a landmark true crime narrative that transports us back to the turbulent late 1960s, reveals the secrets of a notorious serial killer, and unspools the threads connecting Costa, Vonnegut, and Mailer in the seaside city that played host to horrors unlike any ever seen before. New York Times bestselling author Casey Sherman has crafted a stunner.

ABOUT CASEY SHERMAN

Casey Sherman

Casey Sherman is a New York Times Bestselling Author of 13 books including The Finest Hours (now a major motion picture starring Casey Affleck & Chris Pine), Boston Strong (the basis for the film Patriots Day starring Mark Wahlberg), Animal & Hunting Whitey.
Sherman is also the author of 12, Search for the Strangler, Animal, Bad Blood, Black Irish, Black Dragon, Above & Beyond and The Ice Bucket Challenge.
Sherman is a contributing writer for TIME, Esquire, Washington Post, Boston Herald and Boston Magazine and has appeared as a guest an analyst on more than 100 television news programs.
Sherman is a graduate of Barnstable High School (Cape Cod), Fryeburg Academy (Fryeburg, Me.) and Boston University.

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Fatal Witness by Robert Bryndza @RobertBryndza #NetGalley #ErikaFosterReturns

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NEW RELEASE

Every once in a while, I hop over to NetGalley and see what’s happening. I have missed some good books, but found some new authors, and Robert Bryndza is one. YEAH!

Fatal Witness (Detective Erika Foster, #7)

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

As soon as I saw the cover for Fatal Witness by Robert Bryndza, it screamed READ ME. It’s awesome and sure does relate to the story inside, suspenseful, dangerous.

Then, I read the Prologue and it grabbed me. I do love a good Prologue and it made me ask myself…How did it come to that? Why?

Erika is a police officer and had been married to one. Her husband, Mark, had died on the job and her new house is to be a fresh start for her.

I like my action fast and furious, but I settled down in the police procedural, gathering clues with Erika, though they seem to be few. Suspects are eliminated as they crop up.

Two murders, seemingly unrelated, yet both are from the same rental building.

Even though Fatal Witness is fiction, it reminds me of how small a world we live in.

Well written. Easy to read. Flows nicely.

I sometimes have difficulty with novels from the UK, but not so here. Some words were unfamiliar, but the book was written in a way they were easy to understand.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Fatal Witness by Robert Bryndza.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Detective Erika Foster is back in FATAL WITNESS – with a chilling new serial killer case in Robert Bryndza’s multi-million bestselling crime thriller series!

How do you find a killer who has destroyed all the evidence?

Detective Erika Foster is on a late-night walk near her new house in Blackheath when she stumbles upon the brutal murder of Vicky Clarke, a true-crime podcaster.

Erika is assigned to the case and discovers that Vicky had been working on a new podcast episode about a sexual predator who preys on young female students around South London, staking out his victims in their halls of residence before breaking in at the dead of night. When Erika discovers that Vicky’s notes and sound recordings were stolen from her flat at the time of her murder, it leads her to believe that Vicky was close to unmasking the attacker, and she was killed to guarantee her silence.

The case takes on a disturbing twist when the body of a young Bulgarian student doctor is discovered in the same building, and this makes Erika question everything she thought she knew about Vicky. With very little evidence, the clock is ticking to find the killer before he strikes again.

ABOUT ROBERT BRYNDZA

Robert Bryndza

Robert Bryndza is an international bestselling author, best known for his page-turning crime and thriller novels, which have sold over five million copies.

His crime debut, The Girl in the Ice was released in February 2016, introducing Detective Chief Inspector Erika Foster. Within five months it sold one million copies, reaching number one in the Amazon UK, USA and Australian charts. To date, The Girl in the Ice has sold over 1.5 million copies in the English language and has been sold into translation in 29 countries. It was nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Mystery & Thriller (2016), the Grand prix des lectrices de Elle in France (2018), and it won two reader voted awards, The Thrillzone Awards best debut thriller in The Netherlands (2018) and The Dead Good Papercut Award for best page turner at the Harrogate Crime Festival (2016).

Robert has released a further five novels in the Erika Foster series, The Night Stalker, Dark Water, Last Breath, Cold Blood and Deadly Secrets, all of which have been global bestsellers, and in 2017 Last Breath was a Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Mystery and Thriller. Fatal Witness, the seventh Erika Foster novel, is now available to pre-order and will be published 7th July 2022.

Most recently, Robert created a new crime thriller series based around the central character Kate Marshall, a police officer turned private detective. The first book, Nine Elms, was an Amazon USA #1 bestseller and an Amazon UK top five bestseller, and the series has been sold into translation in 18 countries. The second book in the series is the global bestselling, Shadow Sands and the third book, Darkness Falls, has just been published.

Robert was born in Lowestoft, on the east coast of England. He studied at Aberystwyth University, and the Guildford School of Acting, and was an actor for several years, but didn’t find success until he took a play he’d written to the Edinburgh Festival. This led to the decision to change career and start writing. He self-published a bestselling series of romantic comedy novels, before switching to writing crime. Robert lives with his husband in Slovakia, and is lucky enough to write full-time.

You can find out more about Robert and his books at www.robertbryndza.com

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The Finale – Some Mistakes Are Unforgivable by Jane Blythe @jblytheauthor

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Jane Blythe and Some Mistakes Are Unforgivable is another heart wrenching series that has reached its conclusion. I will miss Rivers End.

Some Mistakes Are Unforgivable (River's End Rescues, #6)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Anyone that knows me, knows that Jane Blythe is one of my favorite authors. She has never let me down when it comes to getting lost in a make believe world.

Oh yeah, it is fabulous to be back in rivers end with familiar characters but a new romance.

“Her fate had been sealed the moment she made the decision to defy her parents.”

It had been eight years since her friends had been taken and forced to play the game, Rape, Torture, Kill. She will have to live with the guilt and horror for the rest of her life. She had thought the danger was over, the perpetrators had all been killed, but that was not to be.

She had to return home, or other girls would be taken. What do they want with her. Was it just that she was the one that got away?

Fletcher…she had always had a crush on him, but had never acted on it. She didn’t know that he returned the feeling because he never acted on it either. Fletcher is a deputy sheriff in Rivers End. He was determined to break down the walls Dahlia had created. He wouldn’t let her get away this time.

Jane Blythe knows how to immediately grab me by the throat, holding on, unable to stop reading, with white knuckles and my body filled with tension. Her books fit me to a T. They are fast paced with awesome characters. Unputdownable.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Some Mistakes Are Unforgivable by Jane Blythe.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

One moment in time you wish you could take back.

When Dahlia Black was fifteen she made a mistake that got her best friend killed and she hasn’t been able to forgive herself for it. Banishing herself from River’s End she’s lured back when someone decides that the past hasn’t been laid to rest. Returning to town doesn’t just mean facing the family she let down but the one man she’s always loved but who nearly died saving her.

Fletcher Harris grew up as an honorary member of the Black family, Dahlia like a little sister to him, but when he lays eyes on her for the first time in eight years he finds a beautiful, strong but hurting woman in place of the kid he remembers. Unable to get her out of his mind he’s determined to help Dahlia learn to forgive herself so she can finally move on.

But guilt could lead her to take extreme measures, ones that might ruin any chance the two of them might have had, and destroy the Black family forever.

ABOUT JANE BLYTHE

USA Today bestselling author Jane Blythe writes action-packed romantic suspense and military romance featuring protective heroes and heroines who are survivors. One of Jane’s most popular series includes Saving SEALs, part of Susan Stoker’s OPERATION ALPHA world! Writing in that world alongside authors such as Janie Crouch and Riley Edwards has been a blast, and she looks forward to bringing more books to this genre, both within and outside of Stoker’s world. When Jane isn’t binge-reading she’s counting down to Christmas and adding to her 200+ teddy bear collection!

Website  /  Twitter  /  Facebook

MY REVIEWS FOR JANE BLYTHE’S BOOKS

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They Lurk by Wesley Thomas @WesJThomas

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I love the cover of They Lurk by Wesley Thomas, but there is so much more going on than a huanted house. It is available for .99 or free on Kindle Unlimited.

They Lurk

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

“Our race had been cursed with all kinds of demons, wearing human disguises.”

“My passion. You take my horror, you take my soul.”

We shall see as the brothers face more than they could have imagined.

Right from the beginning, the cover fit the story, plus a bonus….a serial killer.

Shadows. Killers. Ghost men. Vitamin D Killings. What’s up with that? He explains to his brother what’s been happening, but….Is it real? Is he crazy?

The serial killer snuck up on me as I was lost in the horror of the shadows. I had moments of hurry, hurry, hide, don’t go there. I was pretty ho hum through the majority of the book with patches of fear for the boys and curiosity that kept me going.

The ending…I love when an author reminds me there is not always a happy ever after. Wesley Thomas lured me into complacency, setting me up for a very suspenseful ending. I think sometimes the writing, a British horror novel, makes me stumble while reading, taking away some of the urgency I would normally feel.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of They Lurk by Wesley Thomas.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

‘Grabs your psyche and squeezes like a fist.’ *****

A small town falls prey to monsters, ghouls, conspiracy, and one very hungry serial killer, with only two young men to protect it. When a horror movie-obsessed teenager discovers that people in his hometown have dropped dead, drained of vitamin D, puzzling and terrifying the authorities, Jack realizes this is no fantasy. With the reluctant help of his older brother, they dive into unimaginable horror that he thought was safely confined to the world of film and literature. If that wasn’t bad enough, an uncaptured native serial killer decides to revisit his old hunting grounds.
His days of classrooms and cafeteria food are over.

‘A suspenseful mystery wrapped with fear.’ *****

GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY!

ABOUT WESLEY THOMAS

Bestselling British horror author Wesley Thomas made his mark in the horror fiction world in 2011, when he released his debut novel. Since then he has produced several bestselling collections, novels, and novellas. For over two decades Wesley has been obsessed with all things horror. So breaking into horror fiction was a natural choice for him.

His work has been published in various anthologies, featured on multiple horror websites, national and local newspapers, Scream horror magazine, and won multiple awards.

Wesley is completely addicted to the horror genre, regularly reading horror, watching horror movies and TV shows, and attending horror-themed events around the globe. Albeit, he does enjoy travelling, photography, technology, art, architecture, and spending time with family and friends.

Endorsements:

‘Wesley Thomas is one of the very few authors that has managed to completely scare me when reading his work.’ – Word Forward Blog.

‘Simply speaking, Wesley is a writer who cares for the genre deeply, and contributes to it meaningfully!’ – Dustin Urness, Author of ‘Disturbing Tales of Anguish & Horror.’

‘Wesley is an extremely talented young horror craftsman. Love the retro vibe to his work and the presentation.” – Terry. M. West well-known horror author, director, and actor.

Website / Twitter / Facebook

  • You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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