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Untouchable by Jayne Ann Krentz – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

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Untouchable by Jayne Ann Krentz – Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

 

 

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Description:
Quinton Zane is back.

Jack Lancaster, consultant to the FBI, has always been drawn to the coldest of cold cases, the kind that law enforcement either considers unsolvable or else has chalked up to accidents or suicides. As a survivor of a fire, he finds himself uniquely compelled by arson cases. His almost preternatural ability to get inside the killer’s head has garnered him a reputation in some circles–and complicated his personal life. The more cases Jack solves, the closer he slips into the darkness. His only solace is Winter Meadows, a meditation therapist. After particularly grisly cases, Winter can lead Jack back to peace.

But as long as Quinton Zane is alive, Jack will not be at peace for long. Having solidified his position as the power behind the throne of his biological family’s hedge fund, Zane sets out to get rid of Anson Salinas’s foster sons, starting with Jack.

 

 

Review:

Untouchable by Jayne Ann Krentz is the 3rd book in her Cutler, Sutter, and Salinas series.  This series revolves around 3 adopted brothers, who were saved 20 plus years ago, by the then cop (Anson Salinas) from sure death by a cult leader.  Though the cult leader (Quinton Zane) was presumed dead, the Salinas family knows better and has continued to search for the man who killed their mothers, using their private investigation firm run by their adopted father.  The first two books belonged to Max and Cabot, and in Untouchable the third brother, Jack takes center stage.

Jack Lancaster, is a consultant with the FBI, working on cold cases, especially those caused by fire, and he works occasionally with his foster brothers firm. Jack’s ability enables him to envision the killer’s methods in his dreams, allowing him to be able to find the missing clues, which helps him find the killers.  Jack’s dreams though over time have taken a toll on him, with nightmares, so he hires a meditation therapist to help him.    

Winter Meadows, our heroine, is more than a therapist; as she has her own secrets.  Winter is also a hypnotist, who is extremely good at her job, which also puts her in danger from clients.  She helps Jack with his dreams, and how to use a code word to get out of the nightmare.   Both Jack and Winter have had their own traumatic childhoods, but in a short time their working together will turn into a loyal friendship, and eventually a romance.

Quinton Zane is still alive, but under another name (Lucan Tazwell, and working closely with his newly found biological father and brother, heading the Tazewell  hedge fund.  Lucan hires people to find and kill Jack Lancaster, before he finds him; this will also include killing Winter.  Lucan is evil, having killed many as the cult leader, with his hobby of creating fires.  He now wants full control of the families hedge fund, and without blinking an eye, he will attempt to kill them too.  He knows Jack is getting closer, and pushes his people to do anything to get rid of them.  

What follows is an exciting and interesting story, especially as we watch Jack go into his dark dreams, and Winter use her fantastic ability with hypnosis.  I did like Jack and Winter together, as they made a good couple.  There were a few times that the situations were extremely intense, as I sat on the edge of my seat.

Krentz  always creates excellent characters in her books, and manages to gives us another great couple, , and an evil villain. If you enjoy mystery, suspense, thrillers , then you need to read Untouchable.   Even if you have not read the first book, you can read this book very well as a standalone.  Once again, Jayne Ann Krentz has given us a wonderfully written story that keeps us engrossed from start to finish.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

Winter closed the door and stood quietly for a time thinking about Jack’s unnerving words. He had told her that his fascination with fire scared him but it wasn’t fear that she had seen in his eyes—it was the expression of a man who has accepted the ghosts that whisper in the shadows around him.
She would have preferred the problem of fear. There were meditation strategies that could be employed to help a strong-minded person such as Jack cope with fear. She was not certain what to do with a man who kept company with ghosts.
A shiver of anxiety gave her pause. Jack was all right, she told herself. He had been calm when he left. Then again, he was always calm. Maybe too calm. She got the feeling that somewhere along the line he had learned to hold everything close inside.
There was no need to worry about him. Jack was all right.
But she could not shake the chill of dread. She realized now that it had been slowly coalescing throughout the evening, although there was no obvious reason for the uneasiness.
She went to a window and tweaked the faded flower-patterned curtain aside. She could just make out the narrow beam of Jack’s flashlight. It moved steadily along the bluff path until it reached a point midway between the two cottages. There it stopped.
The ominous sensation intensified. Maybe it was just the energy of the oncoming storm that was rattling her. But there had been too many times in the past when she had survived because she had heeded her intuition. She could not ignore the feeling that something was very wrong.
She dropped the curtain, grabbed her jacket and a flashlight, and went quickly to the door. She was not sure exactly what she was going to do, but she could not let Jack stand alone out there on the cliff path, not at such a late hour. Ghosts were always most powerful at night.
She got the door open and rushed out onto the porch, adrenaline flooding her veins. She went down the front steps and stopped, aware that the freshening storm wind was tossing her hair and tugging at the bottom edge of her jacket.
She knew that Jack had seen her because his flashlight was once again in motion. He was walking back along the path, heading toward her cottage.
She stopped on the porch at the top of the steps and waited until he moved into the circle of light cast by the fixture over the door. He halted at the bottom of the three steps. Behind the lenses of his glasses his eyes were more unreadable than ever but it seemed to her that there was a lot of heat in his gaze.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
There was no mistaking the icy edge on his voice.
“Nothing,” she said a little too quickly.
“Did you think I was going to jump?”
“No, of course not.” She was horrified by the question. “I’m sorry. I was just a little concerned, that’s all.”
“I’m not going to jump.”
“I never thought you would. I just got one of those weird little feelings. You know how it is.”
There was a beat of acute silence.
“You’re worried about me,” Jack said.
She folded her arms. “You just concluded a difficult case. You need time to recover.”
“What I said a moment ago—that sometimes my focus on cases involving fire scares the hell out of me—that’s what made you nervous, isn’t it?”
“Well, yes. Maybe. A little. But now I think I understand.”
“Yeah? In that case, why don’t you explain it to me? Because I’m not sure I understand.”
“I realize now that, in your own fumbling way, you were probably trying to warn me that you might not be good relationship material.”
“Fumbling?” he repeated, as if he was not familiar with the word.
“Awkward? Not very subtle?”
“Can I assume you got the message?” he asked.
“Message received.”
He stood quietly for a moment as if he didn’t know where to go with that information. He looked grim and resigned, as if she had now become just one more ghost.
“Is that it, then?” he said finally. “Just message received?”
“I didn’t say that I was going to pay attention to the warning.”
“Are you going to pay attention to it?” he asked.
She smiled. “Nope.”
She might as well have connected a couple of electrical wires. A fierce energy heated his eyes. And then he moved.
He dropped the flashlight into a pocket, vaulted up the three porch steps, gripped her shoulders and pulled her into his arms. She barely had a chance to catch her breath before his mouth came down on hers.
She thought she was prepared for his kiss but she had been very, very wrong. Electricity arced across her senses, igniting a response that stunned her.
For a heartbeat or two she was overwhelmed by the intensity of the experience. Then an adrenaline-fueled excitement kicked in. She was suddenly shivering, but not because of the chilled night wind off the ocean.
Posted by arrangement with Berkley, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © Jayne Ann Krentz, 2019.

Jayne Ann and her Publisher, Berkley are offering a hardcover copy of UNTOUCHABLE to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe.

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Pandemic by Robin Cook – a Review

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Pandemic by Robin Cook – a Review

 

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Description:
After a young, seemingly healthy woman collapses suddenly on the NYC subway and dies by the time she reaches the hospital, her case is initially chalked up to a virulent case of influenza. That is, until she ends up on Dr. Jack Stapleton’s autopsy table, where Jack discovers something eerily fishy: first, that the young woman has had a heart transplant, and second, that her DNA matches that of the transplanted heart.

Strangely, two more incidences of young people with this same sudden and rapid illness crop up, and Jack fears that this could be the start of an unprecedented pandemic. But the facts aren’t adding up. Something is off about these cases, something creepy, and it’s up to Jack to figure it out before it’s too late.

Thus begins a race against time, during which Jack unveils the dark underbelly of the organ transplant market. His name is Bui Zhao, a businessman and hospital board member who has been cheating the system by using organs and cells from chimeric pigs, via the gene editing biotechnology CRISPER/CAS9, which allows pig genes to be inserted into living human cells.

In a climactic and risky mortal showdown, Jack must face Zhao, the megalomaniac willing to risk the fate of the world to purse his commercial interests, if he wants to save the future of medicine.

 

 

Review:

Pandemic by Robin Cook is the 11th book in his Jack Stapleton & Laurie Montgomery series.  This is my first book in this series, but it read very well as a standalone. I did enjoy this book, but I also had some mixed feelings, which I will go into later.

After a healthy young woman collapses on a train and immediately dies, she ends up on the autopsy table of Dr. Jack Stapleton, our hero.  Jack, who is widely respected in his field, notices some strange things when doing the autopsy.  The woman in question had a heart transplant a few months ago, but her heart was in perfect condition; the organs of the deceased show signs of an unknown virus. Jack becomes deeply involved in trying to determine the cause of death, as well as investigating who the deceased young woman was. 

Jack was also warned by his wife, Laurie (his boss) not to involve CDC and other government organizations until he gets more decisive evidence that this could be a dangerous pandemic.  The trails lead to a high tech successful hospital run by a wealthy Chinese businessman and hospital CEP, who has developed amazing results in organ transplants using bio technology.   The further Jack goes in his investigation, with some more similar deaths, he finds himself  in dangerous situations that put his own life in danger.  There are betrayals, with a few twists and turns. I will not give spoilers so not to ruin the story.

Not having read the other books in this series, I did read that Jack was well liked, but I must admit that for the most part, he did come across as surly, rude, ill mannered pretty much to everyone, except some friends.  This caused me to not really like the character too much, though he was brilliant. 

What follows is an exciting last third of the book, where Jack despite everyone trying to stop him, gets closer to the truth.  However, I thought there were too many medical and scientific details, which can cause you to get lost easily.

Pandemic was a good story and very well written by Robin Cook. If you enjoy medical thrillers, with detailed descriptions, then I suggest you read Pandemic.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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For Better And Worse by Margot Hunt – a Review

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For Better And Worse by Margot Hunt – a Review

 

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Description:
Till death do us part

When they fell in love back in law school, Natalie and Will Clarke joked that they were so brilliant, together they could plan the perfect murder. After fifteen rocky years of marriage, they had better hope they’re right.

Their young son Jacob’s principal is accused of molesting a troubled student. It’s a horrifying situation—and the poison spreads rapidly. One night before bed, Jacob tells Natalie he is a victim, too. In that moment, her concept of justice changes forever. Natalie decides the predator must die.

To shelter Jacob from the trauma of a trial, Natalie concocts an elaborate murder plot and Will becomes her unwilling partner. The Clarkes are about to find out what happens when your life partner becomes your accomplice—and your alibi.

 

Review:

For Better And Worse by Margo Hunt is a standalone thriller.  The story begins 15 years into the past, when Natalie and Will, both upcoming lawyers, went on their first date, and had fun comparing how they could get away with murder.

Now in the present, Natalie and Will are married, with an 11year old son. Natalie is a successful defense attorney and Will is a successful attorney in a law office. Things have changed over the years, with Will having an affair, and Natalie a busy workaholic; but a shocking revelation will drastically change everything.

The school principal, where there son attends, was arrested.  Turns out he is suspected of being a pedophile, and a student has accused him.  All the parents are upset, but when Natalie accidently finds out that their son was also abused; she becomes enraged.  Going to the police was not an option, because she knew how the defense would put her son through terrible public ordeal.  She decides she will take matters in her own hands, and plots to kill the principle for what he did to her son, in what should look like a suicide.  She doesn’t tell Will, but when things get messy; Natalie brings in Will, who truly wanted nothing to do with this, but is forced to help.

What follows is an intriguing story, about two people who thought that it was easy to plan the perfect crime, since Natalie knew all there was about defending criminals; finding themselves in a desperate attempt to cover up the crime.  It was exciting, with a lot of twists and turns.  Personally, I did not really care for either Natalie or Will, though I can understand the need to hurt someone for what happened to their son. What would any parent do in this case, wanting to protect their child from suffering? 

Margo Hunt writes a very good thriller, with some surprises along the way. I will add that parts of the story early on dragged a bit, but overall it was well written, and I suggest if you like thrillers, with a different concept, you should read For Better And Worse.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

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On The Count of Three by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

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On The Count of Three by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

 

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Description:
And they thought prison was hell…

When a woman’s disappearance ticks off all the same boxes as two unsolved murders, Miami homicide detective Kelly Marsh is convinced there’s about to be a third. If she’s right and the killer sticks to their previous MO, she only has three days before Jenna Kelter’s decapitated head will show up somewhere in the city. With no time to waste, Kelly reaches out to the one person she knows can help: her former mentor and family friend Jack Harper, who just happens to lead a team with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit.

BAU special agent and profiler Brandon Fisher easily sees the similarities between Detective Marsh’s missing person case and the two cold cases: all three victims served time for DUI vehicular homicide and disappeared three days after being released from prison. But is that enough to assume Kelter has been abducted by a serial killer? Brandon’s not so sure and fears his boss may have let his personal connection to Marsh cloud his judgment. Surely there isn’t any other explanation for why they jumped into an investigation less than twenty-four hours after Kelter was reported missing. Then again, maybe Brandon is letting his own differences with the detective affect his perspective. He’ll need to move past it, though—and quickly.

After all, this killer has evaded capture for the past six years, and they may be looking at a lot more victims than originally suspected. This serial killer is calling the shots and pulling them into a macabre game of cat and mouse. While the team has no choice but to play, if they don’t make the right moves, one of them may not make it out of Miami alive.

 

 

Review:

On the Count of Three by Carolyn Arnold is the 7th book in her Brandon Fisher FBI series. Refresher:  Our FBI BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) team consists of Jack (leader), Brandon, Paige and Zach.  Their cases are always violent, intense, squeamish and at times difficult for the agents, especially Brandon. 

We meet homicide detective Kelly Marsh, who trained under Jack to be an FBI agent, and when she investigates the case of a missing woman, she begins to see some similarities of other cases.  Kelly will call Jack and ask him to come to Miami and help with this case.

The team will discover that the similarities of the other missing case, which resulted in decapitation, are indeed the work of a serial killer.  The victims were all sent to prison for DUI vehicular homicide, and shortly after their release, they disappeared, eventually with the head purposely showing up.

Jack was Kelly’s mentor, and is pleased to have her working with them. Not so, Brandon, who seems jealous that Jack and Kelly get along so well.  But Brandon will work with Jack on some investigations and Paige will work with Zach on other people.  Kelly will work with either of them or on her own. 

As normal in this series, we get to see the POV of the killer, which adds a good element to the story, despite being also very intense.  What follows is an exciting, tense, edgy, non- stop dark adventure to find the killer before they strike again.  I do not want to give spoilers, as this is a story that you need to read from start to finish. 

This series is always intense, exciting and filled with wonderful details about how the team breaks down all the clues.  No one does this better than Arnold, and she is an expert on all types of police/FBI procedurals.  The end of the story looks like there will be some changes, and I will also mention that I still am not a fan of Brandon Fisher, but love the rest of the team.

Carolyn Arnold once again gives us a fantastic and graphic story, which keeps us on the edge of our seats. If you have not read the earlier books of this series, which I suggest you do, this can read as a standalone.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

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The Omega Sanction by Tomas Black – a Review

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The Omega Sanction by Tomas Black – a Review

 

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Description:
A bank vault deep beneath London. An investigator missing. A soldier at war with himself. Ben Drummond has survived war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Back in his native city of London, he fights a daily battle to reconcile his past. Harriet Jones is an investigator for the prestigious Roderick, Olivier and Delaney. Those in the financial community simply call it the ROD. She is fighting her own private war against those in organised crime who have killed her friends and loved ones. When Harriet’s investigations lead her to a mysterious bank vault, deep beneath London, she uncovers a secret that could crush the financial heart of London and bring down the government of the UK. Now Harriet has disappeared. Ben Drummond accepts the assignment to find Harriet, but soon learns that unlocking the secret of the vault comes with a terrible price when powerful forces declare war on him and those he holds dear. With time running out to find Harriet, and against impossible odds, Ben Drummond must fight one last war and find it within himself to win the peace. The Omega Sanction is a fast-paced mystery thriller with more twists than the London Underground.

 

Review:

The Omega Sanction by Tomas Black is a different genre to what I’m use to reading. But what a great read. A very fast paced read. Lots of characters that I thought would detract from the story, but it only added to the story. 

Ben is a solider with a painful past, after serving in the military, he lends himself out as a contractor to NCA (National Crime Agency) he is now a computer forensic investigator.  He’s done work for them many times. He hates the label of Army, he’s worked really hard to get rid his habits and rough ages. 

So he doesn’t think anything is amiss when he gets a call to come in, but an early morning call telling him that it’s urgent …. we’ll that’s another matter ! 

Alex Fern, the woman he’s working with at the moment is interested in the bank with the missing gold. Organised crime including the Russian mafia use the bank to launder their money. So the laptops Ben is to work on will hold interesting information. 

We also meet Harriet, she works as an investigator She opens a vault expecting to see gold, what she gets is an empty vault and a bemused assistant manager and client !! 

Ben now has to find Harriet as she’s missing. Who has her ? And why did she go missing? Is she in someway involved ? Does it have anything to do with the Russians that are hanging around ? 

It’s a well written story. All the characters are really believable. We have plenty of background info on Ben, his troubled past, and how he fights his demons and ghosts on a regular basis. It’s an author I’ll be adding to my list. 

Reviewed by Julie B.

Copy supplied for review

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Consumed by J.R. Ward – Dual Review

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Consumed by J.R. Ward – Dual Review

 

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Description:
Anne Ashburn is a woman consumed…

By her bitter family legacy, by her scorched career as a firefighter, by her obsession with department bad-boy Danny McGuire, and by a new case that pits her against a fiery killer.

Strong-willed Anne was fearless and loved the thrill of fighting fires, pushing herself to be the best. But when one risky decision at a warehouse fire changes her life forever, Anne must reinvent not only her job, but her whole self.

Shattered and demoralized, Anne finds her new career as an arson investigator a pale substitute for the adrenaline-fueled life she left behind. She doesn’t believe she will ever feel that same all-consuming passion for her job again–until she encounters a string of suspicious fires setting her beloved city ablaze.

Danny McGuire is a premiere fireman, best in the county, but in the midst of a personal meltdown. Danny is taking risks like never before and seems to have a death wish until he teams up with Anne to find the fire starter. But Danny may be more than a distraction, and as Anne narrows in on her target, the arsonist begins to target her.

 

Sandy’s Review:

CONSUMED is the first full-length instalment in J. R. Ward’s contemporary, adult FIREFIGHTERS romantic, suspense series. CONSUMED is the continuing storyfocusing on firefighters Anne Ashburn, and Danny Maguire of the NBFD 499. I recommend reading the FREE prequel novellas The Rehearsal and The Dinner for backstory and cohesion.

Told from several third person perspectives including Anne and Danny CONSUMED follows the acrimonious relationship between firefighters and partners Anne Ashburn, and Danny Maguire of the New Brunswick Fire Department (NBFD) 499. Following an warehouse fire wherein both Anne and Danny were wounded, the story line picks up ten months later as Anne embarks on her new career as a certified fire inspector, a career change that has left her bitter and insecure. No longer working alongside her fellow firefighters from the 499, Anne struggles to find a place without the camaraderie and companionship of the men who had always had her back including the man who had stolen her heart. A tightknit group of friends, the firefighters of the 499 are more like family than the blood family back home.

Danny Maguire battles PTSD and remorse in the aftermath of a warehouse fire that went horribly wrong. Never ones to follow orders both Danny and Anne found themselves in a dangerous situation, a situation that was about to affect the rest of their lives and careers. What ensues is the rebuilding friendship and relationship between Danny and Anne, and the fall-out as an arsonist hits too close home, and accusations of another nature threaten the already tepid relationship between our story line couple.

JR Ward pulls the reader into a story of family, friendship, betrayal and power. Anne Ashburn comes from a family who have loved and lost in the line of duty but not is all as it appears to be as the perfect façade begins to crumble as secrets are revealed. Danny Maguire struggles to make sense of where everything went wrong but release does not come easy as the guilt of what happened weighs heavily and long.

All of the firefighters previously introduced in the prequel novellas are present and accounted. Anne’s brother Chief Thomas Ashburn struggles with his tentative hold over a collapsing department, a department he fears no longer respects the position he holds. Danny’s best friend Robert ‘Moose’ Miller is always ready with a helpful hand but it is his new bride Deandra that threatens Moose’s stability, and those of the people working the 499.

CONSUMED follows the breakdown of leadership, the loss of control, the drama and fall-out of a department threatened by an unseen power that is determined to win at all costs. The premise is suspenseful, detailed and dramatic: the characters are flawed, wounded and broken; the romance struggles in the face of pride, betrayal and demons from the past. CONSUMED sets the stage for a potential power match between law enforcement, business and the political elite-a powerful and volatile combination of chaos and command.

Copy supplied by publisher through Netgalley

Barb’s Review:  Consumed by J.R. Ward is the 1st book in her new Firefighters series. I looked forward to reading this new series by Ward, and I am happy to say that I really enjoyed the book.

Anne Ashburn, our heroine, is the only female member of the Fire Dept station 499. She is accepted by all the guys at the station, and her brother is chief; in fact her whole family were mostly firefighters.  Anne has a crush on Danny McGuire, one of the firefighters, but his reputation with woman precedes him.  She does her best to avoid him, but they did have a one night stand that both find difficult to forget.  We learned at the end of the two short prequel novellas, that Danny saves Anne on the scene of a fire, but she lost her hand in the process.

Consumed starts about 10 months later, with Anne having recovered, and trying to get used to prosthetic, as well as apply for a job as an arson investigator. She misses the action she loved at the station, but she no longer can work there, and is forced to accept this new position.  As in anything, Anne jumps in to take a case of a recent fire, and begins to tie in other fires that might be related.

Danny, who had his own injuries, pushes himself back on the job, and is determined to get Anne’s trust and win her over.  In a short time, their chemistry is so hot, there is no way for either of them to keep their hands off each other.  Each have their own issues, involving family, heartache, but their feelings for each other continue to escalate. 

Anne’s investigation leads her to a high profile person, who is determined to get her off the case.  Danny will try to help Anne with the investigation to find the arsonist; his is concerned for her safety, as now she has become a target from those trying to stop her.  What follows is an exciting, pulse pounding, intense, gripping story, amazingly written by Ward.   

As we race to the climax, there are some surprises that I did not see coming, which did throw me for a loop.  I loved Danny and Anne together, and Ward has created a wonderful group of secondary characters in this series, showing the comradery and loyalty of the crew.  I loved loved Anne’s stray dog, Soot that she adopted.   I also thought that Ward did such a fantastic job showing us the life of firemen, and what they go through.  Though the story has a satisfying ending, there are some open issues that will continue into the next book.

Consumed was a fantastic fast paced, exciting and action packed story; a wonderful theme, great couple and secondary characters, and very well written by J.R. Ward.  You need to start this series now.

 

Copies provided by Publisher

 

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Death is Not Enough by Karen Rose – a Review

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Death is Not Enough by Karen Rose – a Review

 

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Description:
Gwyn Weaver is as resilient as anyone could be. Having survived an attempted murder, she has rebuilt her life and reclaimed her dignity and strength. She’s always known about her feelings for defence attorney Thomas Thorne, but as her friend and a colleague there could be no chance of anything more… or could there?

Thorne has known violence and pain all his life. He’s overcome the hardships that have been thrown at him thanks to his own steel, and the love of his loyal friends. Now he’s thinking it might finally be time to let his guard down, and allow himself to let in the woman he’s always admired from afar.

Then Thorne’s whole world is torn apart — he is found unconscious in his own bed, the lifeless body of a stranger lying next to him, her blood on his hands. Knowing Thorne could never have committed such a terrible crime, Gwyn and his friends rally round to clear his name.

But this is just the beginning — the beginning of a brutal campaign to destroy Thorne, and everything he holds dear…

 

 

 Review:

Death is not Enough by Karen Rose is the 6th book in her Baltimore series, which is part of her overall Romance Suspense series, that is now at 21 books. In the Karen Rose fashion, Death is Not Enough was an exciting, action-packed intense  thriller.

In previous books of the Baltimore arc, we had met our two heroes, Thomas Thorne and Gwyn Weaver.  Gwyn decides to visit Thomas at his house to complain about his behavior in ruining her dates with other men.  What she finds is Thomas unconscious, and a woman dead next to him on the bed.

Gwyn will gather all their close friends to rally around Thorne, and help him find who is behind the murder and framing him.  We learn more about Thorne early life, where at 18 years old, he was also framed for a murder of a fellow student.  Some of the people close to Thorne, are still with him and together they will begin to see that what happened years ago may have some ties to this murder. 

Thorne is a great hero, a strong, smart and loyal man, who fears for the lives of his family & friends, as more murders are happening.  But his team will not allow him to do this on his own; convincing him that all of them will stand beside him, despite his concerns.

I loved seeing all those we met in the Baltimore arc playing such big roles in this story.  A fabulous group of secondary characters, such as Lucy, Clay, Taylor, Frederick, JD, Stevie, Ford, Jamie, etc. The team effort, especially with many of them facing danger and attacks, made this a great story. 

What follows is an intense story, where someone  is targeting all of Thorne’s friends, one by one.  No matter where they hide, the murderer is a step ahead, targeting those he cares about.  There are a number of betrayals along way that are surprises for them.  Who can they trust? 

We do know who the culprit is early on, and his intent is to destroy Thorne, hurting those close to him.  The chapters revolve around Thorne, Gwyn and Tavilla (villain)’s POV.  The villain was an evil bad guy, who was also a psycho, and he was relentless.  We never had a moment to breathe, as Thorne begins to realize who is behind the attacks, and in time the team will tie in things from the past, but not why this villain is determined to kill.  I thought Tavilla was a depraved and violent murderer,

There were a number of twists and turns along the way, that were surprising. With each revelation, they race against time to save others. In the midst of this thriller, was a sweet   friends to lovers romance developing between Thorne and Gwyn, which was nicely done, not taking anything away from the suspenseful story. They both had their own issues that left them scarred, but together they work to get past them.

Death is Not Enough is an intense thriller a minute, with nonstop action all the way.  Once again, I am in awe of Karen Rose, and her ability to create such masterful suspense stories, with fantastic characters you care about, as well as very evil villains.  If you love suspense, with a touch of romance and a thriller all the way, you should be reading anything by Karen Rose. I know I will.

Reviewed by Barb

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The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig & Karen White -a Review

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The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig & Karen White -a Review

 

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Description:
A captivating historical mystery, infused with romance, that links the lives of three women across a century—two deep in the past, one in the present—to the doomed passenger liner, RMS Lusitania.

May 2013
Her finances are in dire straits and bestselling author Sarah Blake is struggling to find a big idea for her next book. Desperate, she breaks the one promise she made to her Alzheimer’s-stricken mother and opens an old chest that belonged to her great-grandfather, who died when the RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German U-Boat in 1915. What she discovers there could change history. Sarah embarks on an ambitious journey to England to enlist the help of John Langford, a recently disgraced Member of Parliament whose family archives might contain the only key to the long-ago catastrophe. . . .

April 1915
Southern belle Caroline Telfair Hochstetter’s marriage is in crisis. Her formerly attentive industrialist husband, Gilbert, has become remote, pre-occupied with business . . . and something else that she can’t quite put a finger on. She’s hoping a trip to London in Lusitania’s lavish first-class accommodations will help them reconnect—but she can’t ignore the spark she feels for her old friend, Robert Langford, who turns out to be on the same voyage. Feeling restless and longing for a different existence, Caroline is determined to stop being a bystander, and take charge of her own life. . . .

Tessa Fairweather is traveling second-class on the Lusitania, returning home to Devon. Or at least, that’s her story. Tessa has never left the United States and her English accent is a hasty fake. She’s really Tennessee Schaff, the daughter of a roving con man, and she can steal and forge just about anything. But she’s had enough. Her partner has promised that if they can pull off this one last heist aboard the Lusitania, they’ll finally leave the game behind. Tess desperately wants to believe that, but Tess has the uneasy feeling there’s something about this job that isn’t as it seems. . . .

As the Lusitania steams toward its fate, three women work against time to unravel a plot that will change the course of their own lives . . . and history itself. 

 

Review:

The Glass Ocean is written by three bestselling authors (Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White), and it was done so well and seamlessly.  The Glass Ocean is centered on the Lusitania ship, with three POV’s; three woman, two from the 1915 period and one in modern day (2013). 

In the modern day time period, we meet Sarah Blake, a bestselling author, who is in the midst of a writer’s block, when she opens an old chest that belonged to her great grandfather.  What she finds will take her to England to investigate the connection between her great-grandfather and another man (Robert Langford), who were both on the Lusitania. Sarah will only be able to get so far, until she meets John Langford, a descendant of Robert.  At first John, wants nothing to do with Sarah and her quest, but finally decides to work with her to uncover some mysteries and a possible betrayal.

In May, 1915 we meet two women who are on board the Lusitania.  Caroline Hochstetter, the beautiful and elegant wife of Gilbert, a successful businessman, who has been very secretive and distant with her while on the ship.  Caroline loves her husband, but she is dismayed that he has been busy and away during their trip.  It is Robert Langford, who always had a crush on Caroline, and who will spend more time with her during her husband’s absence. 

We also meet Tess Fairweather, who is on the Lusitania to steal and forge an important document that her sister has set up.  Tess begins to suspect that something is wrong, and cannot get the truth from her sister.  She ends up befriending Robert Langsford, and in time he will discover that she is not who she says she is.

What follows is a compelling and interesting story that will eventually tie all three pieces together, with Carolyn, Tess eventually meeting during the catastrophic bombing of the Lusitania, as well as Robert.  It will be Sarah and John who find missing documents to flesh out the truth of what happened in 1915, and who survived. 

The Glass Ocean not only was a captivating mystery, with espionage, betrayals, love affairs, and the history of the Lusitania in background.  I enjoyed the additions of nice romances building up between some of the main characters, as well as the majestic glamour descriptions of the ship.  The Glass Ocean was written so very well, and I strongly suggest you read this book. 

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

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