Category Archives: William Morrow

Review: Autopsy by Patricia Cornwell

Title: Autopsy by Patricia Cornwell
Kay Scarpetta Series Book 25
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 408 pages
Book Rating:

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

In this relaunch of the electrifying, landmark #1 bestselling thriller series, chief medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta hunts those responsible for two wildly divergent and chilling murders. 

Forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta has come almost full circle, returning to Virginia as the chief medical examiner, the state where she launched her storied career. Finding herself the new girl in town once again after being away for many years, she’s inherited not only an overbearing secretary, but also a legacy of neglect and potential corruption.

She and her husband Benton Wesley, now a forensic psychologist with the U.S. Secret Service, have relocated to Old Town Alexandria where she’s headquartered five miles from the Pentagon in a post-pandemic world that’s been torn by civil and political unrest. Just weeks on the job, she’s called to a scene by railroad tracks where a woman’s body has been shockingly displayed, her throat cut down to the spine, and as Scarpetta begins to follow the trail, it leads unnervingly close to her own historic neighborhood.

At the same time, a catastrophe occurs in a top-secret laboratory in outer space, endangering at least two scientists aboard. Appointed to the highly classified Doomsday Commission that specializes in sensitive national security cases, Scarpetta is summoned to the White House and tasked with finding out exactly what happened. But even as she works the first potential crime scene in space remotely, an apparent serial killer strikes again very close to home.

Review:

Autopsy by Patricia Cornwell is a thrilling mystery starring medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

Kay and her husband Benson Wesley have returned to Virginia and they have barely unpacked before she is hard at work. Now the chief medical examiner for the state, Kay is also doing clean up from her predecessor’s tendency to sweep cases under the rug for political reasons. While she has competent staff, her secretary, Maggie, is a holdover from the last CME and she is used to running the office her way. Kay is trying to be patient, but she fears she cannot trust Maggie. Kay brushes aside her misgivings as she works on her newest victim who turns out to be a neighbor of her sister Dorothy and her husband, former police officer turned private detective Pete Marino.

Just as Kay’s victim has been identified and the forensic team are searching for evidence, she and Benson are called to the White House for a top-secret meeting. A strange turn of events at secret laboratory in space calls for Kay’s expertise. This investigation also turns up an unexpected link that leaves more questions than answers.

Autopsy is an intriguing mystery with fascinating yet seemingly disparate story arcs. Kay and Pete team up just like old times as they easily slip into their former rhythm working together. Benson’s job as a forensic psychologist for the Secret Service gives him a mysterious air. Kay is concerned about her niece Lucy whose life has been touched by the Covid pandemic. Kay faces a political quagmire at the M.E. office as a situation with someone from her past is a source of increasing tension.  The storyline is fast-paced as Kay and Pete try to find evidence a serial killer might responsible for Gwen’s murder. Although Patricia Cornwell brings the mystery to shockingly fast denouement, the epilogue is sure to satisfy readers. Although this latest release is the twenty-fifth installment in the Kay Scarpetta series, it can easily be read as a standalone. However, I highly recommend the entire series.

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Filed under Autopsy, Contemporary, Kay Scarpetta Series, Mystery, Patricia Cornwell, Rated B+, Review, William Morrow

Review: The Collective by Alison Gaylin

Title: The Collective by Alison Gaylin
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense, Thriller
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

The USA Today bestselling and Edgar Award–winning author of Never Look Back and If I Die Tonight plumbs the dark side of justice and the depths of diabolical revenge in this propulsive novel of psychological suspense that melds the driving narrative of Then She Was Gone with the breathtaking twists of The Chain and the violent fury of Kill Bill

“Alison Gaylin’s The Collective is an astonishing feat. In the tradition of Ira Levin’s unforgettable social thrillers (Rosemary’s Baby, Stepford Wives), it’s a nerve-shredding, emotionally harrowing ride that also speaks volumes about our current moment, the dangers of our digital world, the potency of female rage. Don’t miss it.” —Megan Abbott

Just how far will a grieving mother go to right a tragic wrong?

Camille Gardener is a grieving—and angry—mother who, five years after her daughter’s death, is still obsessed with the privileged young man she believes to be responsible.

When her rash actions draw the attention of a secret group of women—the collective— Camille is drawn into a dark web where these mothers share their wildly different stories of loss as well as their desire for justice in a world where privilege denies accountability. Fueled by mutual rage, the collective members devise and act out retribution fantasies via precise, anonymous, highly coordinated revenge killings.

As Camille struggles to comprehend whether this is a role-playing exercise or terrifying reality, she must decide if these women are truly avenging angels or monsters. Becoming more deeply enmeshed in the group, Camille learns truths about the collective—and about herself—that she may not be able to survive

Review:

The Collective by Alison Gaylin is a pulse-pounding thriller that moves at a blistering pace.

Five years ago, Camille and Matt Gardener’s fifteen-year-old daughter Emily was sexually assaulted and left in the woods during a bitter cold snap.  Her last words described what happened to her and the perpetrator’s name. Camille’s hopes for justice for Emily are shattered by a not guilty verdict and she remains mired in her grief and anger. She and Matt are divorced and while he has moved away and started over, Camille still lives in the family home.

When she discovers her daughter’s assailant, now a senior at nearby Brayburn College, is receiving an exclusive award, Camille makes a scene at the ceremony that goes viral. Afterward, she receives an invitation to join a Facebook group for moms whose dead children were denied justice. Soon after, she is invited to a site on the dark web where mothers can express their darkest feelings for those responsible for killing their children have escaped any consequences. Camille is soon addicted to this chat group that she originally believes is just a safe place to express anger and grief. Even when she is asked to participate in seemingly harmless tasks, Camille continues to believe no one would act on anything posted to the chat. In fact, she finds these excursions  calming and give her something to focus on instead of her pain. But she soon learns that getting into this chat group is much, much easier than leaving it…

Camille’s world is shattered with Emily’s death and while Matt discovers a way to move forward, she does not. She relives her memories of her daughter and finds some things too painful to do because of their association with Emily. In the years since Emily’s death, neither her anger nor her grief have lessened. The visible proof that her daughter’s attacker has moved on with his life is a painful reminder that her teenage daughter will never achieve these normal milestones. Joining the dark web chat room provides her an outlet for her simmering hatred but Camille realizes too late that she has possibly made a horrible decision that is impossible to undo.

The Collective is an edge of the seat thriller that is quite suspenseful. Camille’s pain, grief and fury are palpable as she revels in expressing her dark fantasies. The storyline is unique and the first person narrative is extremely effective in drawing readers into Camille’s quest for revenge. With jaw dropping twists and cunning turns, Alison Gaylin brings this riveting thriller to a poignant conclusion.

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Filed under Alison Gaylin, Contemporary, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, The Collective, Thriller, William Morrow

Review: As the Wicked Watch by Tamron Hall

Title: As the Wicked Watch by Tamron Hall
Jordan Manning Series Book One
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 400 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

The first in a thrilling new series from Emmy Award-winning TV Host and Journalist Tamron Hall, As The Wicked Watch follows a reporter as she unravels the disturbing mystery around the deaths of two young Black women, the work of a serial killer terrorizing Chicago.

When crime reporter Jordan Manning leaves her hometown in Texas to take a job at a television station in Chicago, she’s one step closer to her dream: a coveted anchor chair on a national network.

Jordan is smart and aggressive, with unabashed star-power, and often the only woman of color in the newsroom. Her signature? Arriving first on the scene—in impractical designer stilettos. Armed with a master’s degree in forensic science and impeccable instincts, Jordan has been able to balance her dueling motivations: breaking every big story—and giving a voice to the voiceless.

From her time in Texas, she’s covered the vilest of human behaviors but nothing has prepared her for Chicago. Jordan is that rare breed of a journalist who can navigate a crime scene as well as she can a newsroom—often noticing what others tend to miss. Again and again, she is called to cover the murders of Black women, many of them sexually assaulted, most brutalized, and all of them quickly forgotten.

All until Masey James—the story that Jordan just can’t shake, despite all efforts. A 15-year-old girl whose body was found in an abandoned lot, Masey has come to represent for Jordan all of the frustration and anger that her job often forces her to repress. Putting the rest of her work and her fraying personal life aside, Jordan does everything she can to give the story the coverage it desperately requires, and that a missing Black child would so rarely get.

There’s a serial killer on the loose, Jordan believes, and he’s hiding in plain sight.

Review:

As the Wicked Watch by Tamron Hall is an intriguing mystery that does not shy away from social issues and racial injustices.

Broadcast journalist Jordan Manning has been covering the disappearance of fifteen-year-old Masey James. The Black teenager vanished without a trace and the police are treating the case as just another runaway. Masey’s mother, Pamela, insists something has happened to her daughter and Jordan makes sure this case stays in the public eye. While filming an update on the missing teenager, Masey’s body is discovered in an abandoned, overgrown playground. Jordan becomes fully invested in learning the identity of Masey’s killer and she puts herself in harm’s way as she searches for answers.

Jordan is confident, intelligent and ambitious. She is dedicated to ensuring Masey does not become another forgotten missing Black girl. She is willing to put in long hours as she interviews family members and people in Masey’s neighborhood. Jordan also reflects on how under represented Black women are in positions of power in broadcast journalism.

When the police make an arrest, Jordan and the rest of the community are outraged and believe they have made a mistake. With a degree in forensic science, Jordan follows her instincts as she investigates the information she has uncovered. Certain she knows who killed Masey, she sometimes acts a little recklessly as she tries to locate the person responsible.

As the Wicked Watch is a clever mystery with an interesting lead protagonist. Jordan is tenacious as Masey’s case tragically turns into a murder investigation. She is a mostly appealing character but she is not without flaws. The police are a little quick to dismiss viable leads and their eventual arrests bring national attention to the case. The storyline is unique but the pacing for the first third of the book is very slow.  With a plethora of characters, it is sometimes not easy to keep up with who everyone is. Jordan sometimes goes off on unexpected thought tangents that are a little repetitious. With unexpected plot twists, Tamron Hall brings this engaging mystery to a satisfying conclusion. All in all, a decent first installment in the Jordan Manning series.

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Filed under As the Wicked Watch, Contemporary, Jordan Manning Series, Mystery, Rated B, Review, Suspense, Tamron Hall, William Morrow

Review: No One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfield

Title: No One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfield
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

A smart, witty, crackling novel of psychological suspense in which a girl from a hardscrabble small town meets a gorgeous Instagram influencer from the big city, with a murderous twist that will shock even the most savvy reader.

On a beautiful October morning in rural Maine, a homicide investigator from the state police pulls into the hard-luck town of Copper Falls. The local junkyard is burning, and the town pariah Lizzie Oullette is dead—with her husband, Dwayne, nowhere to be found. As scandal ripples through the community, Detective Ian Bird’s inquiries unexpectedly lead him away from small-town Maine to a swank city townhouse several hours south. Adrienne Richards, blonde and fabulous social media influencer and wife of a disgraced billionaire, had been renting Lizzie’s tiny lake house as a country getaway…even though Copper Falls is anything but a resort town.

As Adrienne’s connection to the case becomes clear, so too does her connection to Lizzie, who narrates their story from beyond the grave. Each woman is desperately lonely in her own way, and they navigate a relationship that cuts across class boundaries: transactional, complicated, and, finally, deadly. A Gone Girl for the gig economy, this is a story of privilege, identity, and cunning, as two devious women from opposite worlds discover the dangers of coveting someone else’s life.

Review:

No One Will Miss Her by Kat Rosenfield is a deliciously clever mystery.

In the rural town of Copper Falls, Maine, Lizzie Oullette has just been murdered but everyone is more concerned about her missing husband, Dwayne Cleaves. Lizzie has long been reviled by the townspeople and their disdain of her increased after her marriage to Dwayne. In high school, he was the popular baseball player who was destined for bigger and greater things until their unexpected marriage. Ten years later, Dwayne is still celebrated while Lizzie is still universally disliked. Which is why no one wants to believe it when state police Detective Ian Bird begins to suspect Dwayne might have murdered his wife and is now on the run.

Detective Bird’s investigation soon takes him to Boston to interview wealthy couple Adrienne Richards and her financier husband Ethan. She was once a popular social media influencer who fell from grace along with Ethan after he is accused of defrauding his clients. Bird is more than a little curious why the couple repeatedly rented Lizzie’s lakeside cabin. With few amenities, what attracted Adrienne and Ethan to the financially depressed town and Lizzie’s rental?

No One Will Miss Her is an immensely riveting mystery that is well-plotted and fast-paced. The characters are brilliantly developed but Lizzie is the most relatable and sympathetic. Copper Falls is  claustrophobic and its townspeople quickly close ranks around their beloved golden boy during the investigation. The storyline is incredibly well-developed and easily flows between the different points of view. Unexpected plot twists keep readers on their toes as Kat Rosenfield brings this diabolical mystery to a stunning conclusion.

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Filed under Contemporary, Kat Rosenfield, Mystery, No One Will Miss Her, Rated B+, Review, William Morrow

Review: Reprieve by James Han Mattson

Title: Reprieve by James Han Mattson
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Historical (90s), Horror
Length: 412 pages
Book Rating: C

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

A chilling and blisteringly relevant literary novel of social horror centered around a brutal killing that takes place in a full-contact haunted escape room—a provocative exploration of capitalism, hate politics, racial fetishism, and our obsession with fear as entertainment. 

On April 27, 1997, four contestants make it to the final cell of the Quigley House, a full-contact haunted escape room in Lincoln, Nebraska, made famous for its monstrosities, booby-traps, and ghoulishly costumed actors. If the group can endure these horrors without shouting the safe word, “reprieve,” they’ll win a substantial cash prize—a startling feat accomplished only by one other group in the house’s long history. But before they can complete the challenge, a man breaks into the cell and kills one of the contestants.

Those who were present on that fateful night lend their points of view: Kendra Brown, a teenager who’s been uprooted from her childhood home after the sudden loss of her father; Leonard Grandton, a desperate and impressionable hotel manager caught in a series of toxic entanglements; and Jaidee Charoensuk, a gay international student who came to the United States in a besotted search for his former English teacher. As each character’s journey unfurls and overlaps, deceit and misunderstandings fueled by obsession and prejudice are revealed, forcing all to reckon with the ways in which their beliefs and actions contributed to a horrifying catastrophe.

An astonishingly soulful exploration of complicity and masquerade, Reprieve combines the psychological tension of classic horror with searing social criticism to present an unsettling portrait of this tangled American life.

Review:

Reprieve by James Han Mattson is an intriguing novel with an interesting storyline.

In 1997, John Forrester is the eccentric owner of a full contact house of horrors called Quigley House.  The big draw to Quigley is the competition to win $60,000. Four contestants work together to advance through the various cells by collecting envelopes within the allotted time frame without yelling the safe word.

Following the death of her father, Kendra Brown moves with her mother to Nebraska. As one of the few Black students at her school, she feels out of place and unable to break into the cliques that have already formed. She secretly takes a job at Quigley House and forms an unexpected friendship with John and her co-workers. Kendra is pivotal in bringing in one of the contestants in the final, ill-fated competition.

Jaidee Charoensuk is a Korean student at the local university and he is struggling to fit in. He is a bit older but having learned about the United States through movies and tv shows, he has many misconceptions about relationships. Jaidee works hard to make good grades but he is not really in the US for an education. He is instead searching for the tutor he developed a crush on when he was a teenager. Through a strange series of events, Jaidee has connections to two of the other people on his team at Quigley House.

Reprieve features a thought-provoking yet convoluted plot. Through various points of view and court documents, a murder during one of the competitions unfolds in horrific detail. The characters are well-drawn but not all of them are likable. The pacing is somewhat slow until the four contestants begin working their way through the cells. Their battles through the cells is quite detailed but these scenes tend to drag somewhat. With stunning revelations, James Han Mattson brings the novel to a tragically sad conclusion.

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Filed under Historical (90s), Horror, James Han Mattson, Reprieve, Review, William Morrow

Review: Nice Girls by Catherine Dang

Title: Nice Girls by Catherine Dang
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

A pulse-pounding and razor-sharp debut with the emotional punch of Luckiest Girl Alive and All the Missing Girls that explores the hungry, angry, dark side of girlhood and dares to ask: Which is more dangerous for a woman—showing the world what it wants to see, or who she really is?

What did you do?

Mary used to be such a nice girl. She was the resident whiz kid of Liberty Lake, Minnesota—the quiet, chubby teen with the scholarship to an Ivy League school. But three years later, “Ivy League Mary” is back—a thinner, cynical, restless failure who was kicked out of Cor­nell at the beginning of her senior year and won’t tell anyone why. Taking a job at the local grocery store, Mary tries to make sense of her life’s sharp downward spiral.

Then beautiful, magnetic Olivia Willand goes missing. A rising social media star, Olivia is admired by everyone in Liberty Lake—except Mary. Once Olivia’s best friend, Mary knows better than anyone that behind the Instagram persona hides a willful, manipulative girl with sharp edges. As the town obsesses over perfect, lovely Olivia, Mary wonders if her disappearance might be tied to another missing person: nineteen-year-old DeMaria Jackson, whose case has been widely dismissed as a runaway.

Who is the real Olivia Willand, and where did she go? What happened to DeMaria? As Mary pries at the cracks in the careful facades surrounding the two missing girls, old wounds will bleed fresh and force her to confront a horrible truth.

Maybe there are no nice girls, after all.

Review:

Nice Girls by Catherine Dang is an engrossing mystery.

After getting into an Ivy League college, Mary vows never to return to her small home town of Liberty Lakes, Minnesota. But in her senior year, an altercation between her and a freshman culminates in her expulsion from school. Mary now lives with her father who insists she immediately return to work. She works at a local grocery with former high school football star Dwayne Turner. Mary’s plan to remain under the radar comes to abrupt end when her former childhood friend Olivia Willand goes missing. During the town search for Olivia, Mary discovers another young woman went missing a few months earlier. But DeMaria Jackson’s disappearance receives little notice or investigation when the police treat her case a runaway. Convinced the two cases are linked, Mary decides to investigate on her own.

Mary goes unrecognized by many of her former classmates due to her change in appearance. She is depressed and barely goes through the motions after moving back in with her father. Their relationship remains even more fractured than when she left for college. Mary vacillates between shame and anger over the incident that led to her college downfall. Unfortunately, she cannot muster the energy to make plans for her future.

At first, Mary is certain that Olivia is not really missing. She instead believes the influencer planned her disappearance as a publicity stunt. But she starts to change her mind after learning about DeMaria’s still unsolved disappearance. Mary is even more convinced after meeting DeMaria’s mother that her daughter did not runaway. With a thin lead to track down, she hopes to find information  that will lead her to the truth about what happened to the missing woman.

Mary also cannot stay away from uncovering the truth about what happened to Olivia. She remains angry over the end of their friendship. She is mostly successful at pushing aside her hard feelings as she begins her own investigation. A chance comment provides her with an intriguing clue to follow but will Mary learn the truth about what happened to Olivia and Demaria?

Nice Girls is a compelling mystery with a topical storyline. Mary is a troubled character who does not always make the best choices. She often leaps to conclusions that unfortunately result in rash decisions. Liberty Lakes is somewhat claustrophobic but this adds to the growing suspense. With a startling discovery, Catherine Dang brings this fast-paced debut to an edge of the seat, unpredictable conclusion.

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Filed under Catherine Dang, Contemporary, Mystery, Nice Girls, Rated B, Review, Suspense, William Morrow