Taut, suspenseful story with twists and turns - A fun read!
339998
Tess Gerritsen's tenth Rizzoli and Isles book, Last To Die, is a taut, highly enjoyable thriller.  In this book, we follow homicide detective Rizzoli and medical examiner Isles as they team up to save three orphans.  These orphans have one major thing in common: they are each survivors of not one, but two family massacres that killed both their birth families and their foster families.  The three orphans are placed in Evensong Boarding School in Maine, which is run by the mysterious Mephisto Society.  Evensong is a place where young people who are victims of violent crime are taught survival skills.  I'll hold off on any spoilers here, but suffice it to say that the tragedies in these three orphans' lives appear to be interconnected, as the story twists and turns towards a violent and tense conclusion.  The secret behind the three orphans' stories goes way back in time and space, even into a different country.

Gerritsen mixes personal details of her main characters (Rizzoli and Isles) into the story, allowing us to learn more about them, even ten books in.  Overall, this one is a solid, fun read.  Fans of the TNT television show will really enjoy it.
There are two things I like about Gerritsen and this series.  First, I enjoy being able to just jump into a book, already knowing and liking the main characters.  Now, with the television series, there are even real faces attached to the names, albeit actors.  Second, as a physician, I enjoy reading books by other doctors.  Gerritsen is perhaps the most successful physician fiction writer since the late Michael Crichton.

If you enjoy Gerritsen's books and books with a medical bent, then I highly recommend the following:  Dr. Samuel Shem's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-House-of-God/dp/0425238091/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The House of God</a>&nbsp;is a `must read' for anyone interested in reading a novel about the crazy things that happen inside a big city hospital.  Although it was written in the 70's, it's still the most widely read book about doctors today.
2562910
This book was so much fun to read that I couldn't put it down and finished it in just a couple of days, which is very rare!  Written by an Emmy award winning former news reporter and senior producer, Viewer Discretion Advised provides a fascinating inside glimpse into the thrilling world of documenting (and creating - at least in this captivating story) the most important news of the day.  You'll find everything you could possibly want in this story!  As soon as you start reading you will be cheering for the smart, lovable heroine and her true girlfriends.  A steamy romance mixed with brewing sexual tension on several fronts will leave you wondering who'll end up together, if anyone.  And the murder mystery builds up to a chilling crescendo, which left me unsure of and fearful about how things would turn out until the very end.  No spoilers here, but I will say that you will be very, very satisfied with the ending! I highly recommend this read if you love escaping into a book for a great time!
3973593
Lies to Die for feels realistic, and it has lots of twists and turns. The author has been very skilled at keeping the fine balance between the suspense and the thrills of the story.

I must admit that I grew fond of Max (the veteran) and Jesse (she is new to this game), due to their differences and the way she infuses new perspectives in the way Max solves his cases.

Thiede knows how to engage the reader and makes you connect not only with the characters, but also with the setting: the small Town of Rockton, Illinois. I can't wait for the next book!

Have no doubts that you will be kept guessing until the last few pages, and when you think you cracked the code, BOOM!

Highly recommended!
4436974
What a book! Every page read just made me want to read more and to dread when it was coming to an end. Fortunately the author alleviates that dread by neatly tying up all the situations in this book and previewing the coming adventures of these characters, the dialogue is delightfully real and intriguingly readable. The story is filled with twists and turns intertwining an excellent detective story with the development of a love story or two and an overview of the development of the skills necessary to be a detective. The authors descriptions of the locales of these adventures let the reader feel that he or she is actually there.
This was a great fun read that I plan to reread soon.
3988074
I'm a fan of Polly Iyer's books, so I was delighted when this came out. Hooked is a fast-paced read--suspense with with a little humor here and there to relieve the tension. Tawny Dell is a former call girl, at least until the cops, Lincoln Walsh in particular, drag her back to help solve a crime. Tawny is a smart, likeable character who chose her profession with her eyes wide open. She's someone I'd enjoy knowing. Linc may have doubts about his assignment, but he needs to catch a killer, so he does what he has to--puts Tawny back in business for an inside source. But meanwhile, Tawny and Linc find themselves caring for each other despite the chasm between them. The secondary characters are interesting too. This is a good read. The writing is smooth and the story exciting.
3338922
Edison must have had fun writing this story - it was certainly fun to read.  The story will be particularly gripping for soccer/football aficionados, but will also be a great read for anyone who enjoys suspense. The give and play between Hessabi's angst in grappling with his current situation as a hostage, interspersed with his reliving of various past events leading up to his current predicament keeps the reader engaged.  The protagonists and his many antagonists (both past and present) have well developed, compelling and quite believable characters.  My only complaint is I wanted to learn even more about the book's diverse cast (maybe this is actually a compliment?).  Overall, The Churning was a real kick!
3432205
This stand-alone tale is pretty unpredictable, fairly fast paced with plenty of action and abundant suspense.  The main characters are nicely developed, likable, fun and downright comical at times. Parts of the tale are rather far-fetched; however, it is fiction...after all.  I found this tale to be well-crafted and a pleasurable suspense story.

Jack Stratton was abandoned by his mother when he was seven years old, and was a foster kid for a few years before he was adopted.  Now he is a grownup policeman.  Detective Jack Stratton isn't just an ordinary cop.  He often goes solo out on a limb to get the job done.  Sometimes he is not the winner in tense situations, sometimes his actions get him into some troubled and frequently harrowing dilemmas.  Then along comes Alice, with a moniker of Replacement.  His life is in for some funny and sometimes chilling moments with Replacement doing her share of getting in the way, computer hacking and just causing his life to get a bit more problematic.

Jack's best friend from childhood, his foster brother Chandler was killed in Iraq, and Jack blames himself.  He returned home a bit troubled, he drinks too much, and he sorta' abandons his family.  That all changes; however, when he arrives home from work and is met by his extremely irate live-in girlfriend storming her way out the door.  Caught off-guard, he ponders what he did to cause her sudden explosive departure.  The question is quickly answered when he is affronted by a complete stranger.a young woman clothed only in a bath towel..coming out of HIS bathroom.  Jack quickly discovers that the stranger is none other than his foster sister, Replacement, who was just a kid in pigtails when he last saw her. The reason for her appearance is the disappearance of Michelle, the real sister of his best friend, Chandler.  Replacement has come to ask Jack to find the missing foster sister because the police will not conduct a search for her. The two team together to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Michelle.

Both Replacement and Jack will cause some chuckles to erupt.even if the reader is in a small room full of strangers. I got some rather curious looks, some smiles and a few laughs when I suddenly laughed out loud.while reading this book.  Before I knew it, the whole room was laughing and wanting to know a bit about the tale that caused everyone's mood to change from glum to happy.  I don't normally do that kind of thing.in public..among strangers.when reading.
509886
Riddle is a fast-paced story full of twists and turns. The characters were well developed and believable. The suspense was intense and the mystery twisted and turned. You think you know what's going on, then it twists again. I loved Kort and Grace and thouroughly enjoyed their blossoming relationship.
I gave this book four stars instead of five due to it needing some serious editing. There were quite a few punctuation errors (missing commas, periods and spaces, formatting issues, etc), but these problems did not make me stop reading. I had to know what happened! Great job!
2563452
This is a well crafted story and I absolutely enjoyed reading it from start to finish. It's a captivating and gripping read that had me engrossed from the beginning. The story flows from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. There's a profusion of well illustrated scenes that really make you feel like you are right there in the story, and that's something I really look for in a good book.

The story had every element a good story should have. An interesting plot, attention to detail, but best of all fleshed out, well-written and well-rounded character development. This interesting and compelling work, as I said, had my attention from the start and there are emotional twists and turns in this page turner that will take the reader on an intriguing and rousing journey! Also, the writing style is uncomplicated which makes for an enjoyable read.

It's one of those stories that come along once in awhile that makes you want to read it non-stop until you get to the end. I'm giving nothing further away here. And this, I hope, will only add to the mystery and enjoyment for the reader! I'd highly recommend this read to all fans of the Romance genre.

I'll certainly be looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!
1569869
Playing Dead is a page-turning suspense with fun and realistic characters. Readers will fall in love with the main characters, Renee and Antony, as well as the secondary characters. Jody Lebel has a fun and humorous writing style that makes readers want to sit back, relax, and go along for the ride. This story has powerful twists, a strong and believable friendship between Renee and Liz, and a romance that makes you cheer for Renee and Anthony as they discover their feelings for each other and work together to solve the mystery about a trail of strange emails.
An added bonus: you'll learn a lot about being a court reporter in this book. Jody's first-hand experience in the courtroom brings a level of realism that will keep you turning pages. I'll be watching for new releases from author Jody Lebel.
2293044
A "taut thriller" one might call a novel such as this. And one would be correct. Every character here is working with such a thick back story - and all bringing the exactly perfect type and amount of baggage to the table to make their actions laden with emotional heft and depth (e.g. let's say you have recurring nightmares of a young boy that you watched die when you were a firejumper - then meeting another young boy needing protection would be the most emotionally rife situation you could face).

The story is interesting and engaging and unfolds in a way that makes it easily accessible and easy to be engrossed in - though not as easy to buy into. The world and circumstances that Koryta has created are a bit too perfectly gathered for the culmination of the story that the inevitability and catharsis of it all almost feels a bit too heavy-handed. But Koryta's writing style is excellent and his research superb. There are great twists (that feel more like plot reveals than standard "twists") and even greater characters. Definitely a fun, quick read.
3903528
MORAL INFIDELITY is a compelling story of how one mans intractable moral stance collides with his drive for money and power, leading him down the path of destruction. Well-crafted suspense tale that will leave you turning the pages till you reach THE END. Theres a great twist!
3548396
I picked up, by chance, an earlier novel of Fielding's: "The First Time". Really enjoyed it! So glad I read this, too. I really like her suspenseful twist she stirs into her plots.
Saw others review it as a great beach or vacation read, and I must agree. You become swept up in the characters' lives & find yourself thinking about them while you're not reading.
There's a mix of things in this novel: compassion, enduring friendships, betrayal, suspense, and ohhh.... mystery!
I also would recommend "Whispers & Lies", as it has similar twists like this one. (Also by Fielding.)
754201
Very gripping story, with lots of twists - excellent reading!
3590297
I truly enjoyed getting to know Tiffany Black in this story and watch her begin her PI career. Miss Winters does a splendid job of intertwining thrills and humor into a plot that kept me reading until I reached the last page (seriously I finished it in one day!). I truly enjoyed watching Tiffany come into her own as an investigator up against insurmountable odds, and appreciated the rookie mistakes she had along the way. It made her character more realistic than if she'd been a PI prodigy. My only critique would be how when the murderer is revealed the coercing of his confession seemed unlikely. The murderer's willingness to cooperate at that point would have been plausible if we believe her to be a first time killer unloading his guilty conscious, but his following seasoned criminal actions made her cooperation all the more unlikely (liked how I'm switched up the his and hers to keep you guessing right?). In addition, I would have liked to have seen the reaction of other characters in the case to his true identity, and more of an outcome to the side case Tiffany stumbles upon. Despite these things I truly enjoyed the book, will love reading it again, and would love to read it in a book club or something where I could express and discuss the things I brought up here as well as other exciting scenes I won't reveal because bottom line you need to read this for yourself! I can't wait to read the next installment of Tiffany's adventures; well done Miss Winters!
1647642
I felt this book had enough suspense and twists to keep me reading straight through to the rather surprising ending. I enjoyed the overall story, and in general I don't read a book to find things to be critical of - I read for the enjoyment of escape. And this book made for a day of delightful diversion.

Diane Christie is the author of mysteries, and in the midst of trying to overcome the family tragedy of her husband's suicide. She moves with her adopted teenage son, Josh, to a small town in coastal Massachusetts. Her older teenager, daughter Alexa, attends college not far away. The cracks in their family relationships have been widened since the suicide and Diane is hoping to repair them. Alexa seems to be sinking further into a nasty and depressive mood. And even amiable Josh is starting to act out, on top of his chronic health issues.

Diane tries to focus on her writing and her volunteer work at a crisis hotline center, waiting for time to aid in the healing of her family. A murder at her daughter's college sends Diane into hyper drive, and when more girls start meeting the same fate, Diane feels everything spinning out of control. She starts to feel some solace from an attractive counterpart at the center, but that gets put on hold when the killings escalate. A mysterious caller the crisis hotline claims to be the killer, but can Diane figure out who they are and stop the murders?

There are plenty of people in Diane's life who are hiding secrets, nursing grudges and grievances, and just harboring plain evil. The Stranger Inside can sometimes be who you least expect, or maybe who you most expect.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback.
316538
This is a suspense story with lots of twists, different from any others I've ever read. It has an intriguing premise and complex and credible characters.  The book starts slowly, but by the time I got to the middle it became a page turner.

The story follows Lindsey, a modern business woman, throughout her personal journey toward happiness and financial stability. Her path is bogged down by family angst and mischievous  employees. I did get mad and frustrated with some of the difficulties Lindsey deals with, therefore, K. A. Jordan did a great job conveying those situations. Lindsey encounters two attractive men, Brandon and Tag. Brandon is hedonistic and disingenuous and drags Lindsey into a web of deceit.

Tag is my favorite character in the whole book. Being a damaged hero, one expects he would be bitter, or full of grief. In spite of his past ordeals, he's caring and responsible. Someone who eventually becomes the anchor Lindsey needs in her chaotic life. I like the bridle path Tag and Lindsey take through genuine friendship, acceptance, emotional recovery and trust before falling in love. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys women's fiction with elements of suspense romance. I'll be looking forward to K. A. Jordan's future releases.