Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense · Thriller/Horror

The Dollmaker – Mary Burton

30168629| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: Dr. Tessa McGowan had never seen anything quite like it. But the mutilated bodies on her exam table tell a stunningly macabre tale: someone with a twisted mind is kidnapping women and altering their faces to resemble real, life-size dolls. As a forensic pathologist, it’s her job to aid the agent leading the case—even if that agent is her estranged husband.

Twelve years ago an unspeakable tragedy destroyed Dakota Sharp’s world. Haunted by the ghosts of his past, he’s devoted himself to capturing killers. His only regret is that it cost him Tessa. Now, as the Dollmaker case brings them together—and raises his suspicions that he’s crossed paths with this deranged psychopath before—they may just have their second chance. But it seems Dakota’s not the only one who wants to make Tessa his own…

She may be the Dollmaker’s next target, but Tessa has no intention of winding up as another toy on his shelf. Can she and Dakota stop this ghastly killer before his next deadly playdate?

My thoughts: If I remember correctly I did like (not love) the first book in the forgotten files series. But this one, who have a more exciting story, do not even get as far up as to like it. It is an average book. It did not bore me to death, but it also did not do that much for me. It´s kind of blaha for me. And that´s to bad. A book with that high rating and reviews should fall in my taste more than this one did.

The books story about the Dollmaker is actually kind of good. It is gross and makes you cringe. That however is the only ting. The killers story in the book makes no sense and how it all hangs together feels a little far fetched. There is no suspense in the hunt for the killer, Dakota feels real and human but Tessa does nothing for me. She is kind of gray and mellow. Not very exciting. And to bad that the book is to predictable. It could have been so much better.

Fiction/Science Fiction · Mystery/Crime · Thriller/Horror

The Dry – Jane Harper

27824826| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: Luke Hadler turns a gun on his wife and child, then himself. The farming community of Kiewarra is facing life and death choices daily. If one of their own broke under the strain, well…

When Federal Police investigator Aaron Falk returns to Kiewarra for the funerals, he is loath to confront the people who rejected him twenty years earlier. But when his investigative skills are called on, the facts of the Hadler case start to make him doubt this murder-suicide charge.

And as Falk probes deeper into the killings, old wounds start bleeding into fresh ones. For Falk and his childhood friend Luke shared a secret… A secret Falk thought long-buried… A secret which Luke’s death starts to bring to the surface…

My thoughts: Wow! This one was so much heavier than I first thought it would be. A really good, old-fashioned crime fiction. Right up my alley and actually that genre I first fell in love with when growing up. It was nice and cozy to be back in a book like this. A book that is so great written, amazing characters and the settings was just like you really was there with them, in the heat and longing for the rain. It´s hard to believe that this is Jane Harpers debut novel. That´s how great it is.

The book was published in 2016 and has since then been a big talk about on the web. Her in my country, the book has not reached as far yet, but I believe this will be a big seller this autumn/winter.

The story is really awesome and makes you as an reader both frustrated and excited. A little slow in the start but it did pick up the speed and in the end I just couldn’t wait to get all the answers. Many did surprise me and I really like the ending. No cliffhanger but a promise that there will be more.

An there will be. The second book about Aaron Falk will be published late September 2017.

Fiction/Science Fiction · Mystery/Crime · Romance · Thriller/Horror

A Merciful Death – Kendra Elliot

29986740| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: FBI special agent Mercy Kilpatrick has been waiting her whole life for disaster to strike. A prepper since childhood, Mercy grew up living off the land—and off the grid—in rural Eagle’s Nest, Oregon. Until a shocking tragedy tore her family apart and forced her to leave home. Now a predator known as the cave man is targeting the survivalists in her hometown, murdering them in their homes, stealing huge numbers of weapons, and creating federal suspicion of a possible domestic terrorism event. But the crime scene details are eerily familiar to an unsolved mystery from Mercy’s past.

Sent by the FBI to assist local law enforcement, Mercy returns to Eagle’s Nest to face the family who shunned her while maintaining the facade of a law-abiding citizen. There, she meets police chief Truman Daly, whose uncle was the cave man’s latest victim. He sees the survivalist side of her that she desperately tries to hide, but if she lets him get close enough to learn her secret, she might not survive the fallout…

My thoughts: I really liked the story. I liked that preppers had a big part of the story. I know what a prepper is but the complete meaning of it was new to me until I read Fan the flames by Katie Ruggle where the female lead character had grown up as an extreme prepper. The culture intrigued me and that is mostly why I wanted to read this book.

However I wasn’t that happy about the characters. They felt kind of detached at times and some of the history never was told to you as an reader, which would have made somethings a little clearer. And I totally dont agree with the ending of the book. Tho no cliffhanger.

Overall it is an great book with some mistakes. After my experience, the first book in a series are often not that good as it could be and i´m still interested to read more about Mercy, and perhaps get some answers on stuff that you didn’t get in the first book. I do not like to end a book with questions but here it do not do anything since they are minor and just my own curiosity. Another reader would probably not even have those questions when the book ends.

Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense

You Belong To Me – Karen Rose

8697191.jpg| GOODREADS | AMAZON | MY RATING: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ |

Goodreads synopsis: A killer is branding his victims with numbers. How many will he kill before he’s stopped? YOU BELONG TO ME is a fantastic thriller from bestselling author Karen Rose, and the first novel in her Baltimore series.

When forensic pathologist Lucy Trask stumbles across a mutilated body by the chess tables in her local Baltimore park, its face so badly damaged it is unrecognizable, her sole concern is that it might be her old school teacher Mr Pugh.

When the corpse is identified, Lucy is shocked to discover that the victim is actually another man from her past. Who killed him and why his skin is burnt with the number ‘1’ is unclear but it’s evident that someone is demanding Lucy’s attention.

The discovery of a second branded body raises worrying questions: how many more lives may be at risk before the killer’s final message is revealed? And can Lucy solve the killer’s gruesome puzzle before their thirst for revenge is complete?

My thoughts:Great book. Great characters, great story, great suspense and great, hot romance. Just a great book. Karen Rose has done a great job with the mystery and suspense so it is not until the end you really get to know whats going on. I love to sit through a book and guess how it all hangs together and when an author proves me wrong in the end, i have won big. And Karen Rose really did it in this book.

The book is part of an series. It is nr 12 in Romantic suspense but number 1 in the Baltimore series. I definitely want to read more by Rose. Her writing is great and I cant believe that i never stumble over her books earlier. It was actually one of my Goodreads friends who read it and thats how I discovered her books.

There is one negative thing with the book tho and that is that it are a little to many people and it’s sometimes hard to keep track on who is who and from where. But other than that it’s an great book. And you get the best from two worlds. Super romantic exciting and murder, crime suspense. Just up my alley.

Contemporary · Mystery/Crime · Romance · Suspense · Thriller/Horror

Shadow Of Perception – Kristine Mason

25361217| GOODREADS | AMAZON | My rating:  |

Goodreads synopsis: What happens when negligent plastic surgeons get a taste of their own medicine…?

Chicago investigative reporter, Eden Risk, receives an unmarked envelope containing a postcard ordering her to watch the enclosed DVD…or someone else dies. No police. After Eden watches the DVD, a gruesome, horrifying surgery, she turns to the private criminal investigation agency, CORE, for help. Only she hadn’t expected that help to come with a catch. Her former lover, Hudson Patterson, has been assigned to the case.

Hudson would rather have another CORE agent handle the investigation. Two years ago, he’d screwed things up with Eden…bad. And as more DVDs arrive, Eden and Hudson find themselves not only knee-deep in a twisted investigation, but forced to deal with their past, and the love they’d tried to deny.

My thoughts: This is the second book in Masons CORE Shadow Trilogy. I did like the first book and gave it three stars, but I really liked the first book from her other CORE series (above the law). But this one I did not like at all. I didn’t like that the suspense disappeared to fast since Mason gave to much explanations to early. So the murder and his mystery was not that exciting. And I did not like Eden at all and some of the drama was totally her fault and then try to make it Hudsons fault. That kind of relation and drama is really nothing for me.

And its to bad. Because i´m starting to see and a pattern and Mason has an sick imagination. An imagination totally in my taste. Something new and a little on the border of insanity that is really refreshing for someone like me who read a lot of thriller, suspense, mystery and books with romance.

So in total, this was not the book for me, but I still want to read more and the third book is about an character named Rachel and that is really exciting. 😀