Meet BTB Reviewer Teresa Brock

Background: Teresa Brock, married to Andrew Brock. Mother of 4 (3 girls and and 1 boy) ages 25-19, grandmother of 3 boys. Currently learning how to wade through the empty nest life after raising a house full of athletes. I own and operate my own business that has allowed me to be involved in my kids lives, church and community. I love anything outdoors including hiking, kayaking and boating. Reading is my go to activity. My favorite genres include thriller, mystery, horror, true crime and historical non-fiction.

Go-To Author: For thrillers, Lucinda Berry is a go to for me. I would also put her with the likes of Lisa Gardner, Rachel Hawkins and I adore Gregg Hurwitz. I count on authors who give me all of the tension without giving anything away and making me feel like I am part of their story. I love a well researched book that validates the words I am reading as fact.

Author People Should Discover: Jenny Kiefer. She just published This Wretched Valley. A horror/thriller book that takes place in Kentucky. She is also the owner of Butcher Cabin Books. If this book gets picked up for a horror movie I will not be surprised.

Book You Would Recommend From 2023: I Kill Killers by ST Ashman (yes I know volume 2 is coming out in 2024 but I had to pick something else t- tee hee). This book just grabbed me from the beginning. I love a BA woman. She has all the money and talent and everything needed, but a thirst like no other for justice (I may be jealous).

Most-Anticipated Book Of 2024: The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown. Why? Time travel plus good versus evil plus super powers mixed with books = count me in while I do the pee peep happy dance waiting on this one.

Favorite Local/Indie Bookstore: Butcher Cabin Books in Louisville, Kentucky and A Likely Story in Midway, Kentucky. Both of these are in The Bluegrass State, locally owned and work with local authors and other businesses to support reading.

Favorite Charities: We support The Wounded Warrior Project, the Knox-Whitley Humane Association and FRYSC Knox County Public Schools

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View Teresa’s Latest Reviews (book pub. dates)

The Memory Ward by Jon Bassoff (3/4/25)
Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz (2/11/25)
Not Our Daughter by Chad Zunker (2/11/25)
Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson (1/8/25)
The Dragon the Eagle and the Jaguar by Rodger Carlyle (01/14/25)
Assume Nothing by Joshua Corin (12/10/24)
The Good Bride by Jen Marie Wiggins (12/10/24)
Nobody's Hero by M.W. Craven (12/03/24)
Baker by Michele Packard (12/01/24)
The Egyptian Enigma by David Darling (11/26/24)
Out in the Cold by Steve Urszenyi (11/12/24)
Burn This Night by Alex Kenna (11/12/24)
The Lake of Lost Girls By Katherine Greene (11/5/24)
In Too Deep by Lee Child & Andrew Child (10/22/24)
Good Looking Ugly by Rob D. Smith (10/22/24)
Origin Story by A.M. Adair (10/22/24)
The Slate by Matthew Fitzsimmons (10/8/24)
Hometown Vendetta By Traci Hunter Abramson (10/1/24)
Somewhere by Matthew Reed Williams (10/10/24)
The President's Lawyer by Lawrence Robbins (10/8/24)
Not Yours to Keep by Zelly Ruskin (10/8/24)
Fortunate Son by Andrew Bridgeman (09/24/24)
Heroic Measures by Joel Shulkin (09/17/24)
The Bachelorette Party by Sandra Block (9/3/24)
Love You Till Tuesday by M. E. Proctor (08/12/24)
The Chamber by Will Dean (8/6/24)
The Rule of Three by Sam Ripley (8/6/24)
Homecoming Queen by Chad Boudreaux (8/6/24)
Stone Creek by Kate Brandes (8/6/24)
May the Wolf Die By Elizabeth Heider (7/2/24)
Tempest North by Rodger Carlyle (7/16/24)
Show Game by Steve Anderson (7/2/24)
The Midnight Rambler by Don Carr (6/20/24)
Three Burials by Anders Lustgarten (6/18/24)
Dreams in Incarceration by Cillian Dunne (6/18/24)
The Vixen Amber Halloway By Carol LaHines (6/11/24)
The King Street Affair by Jon Sealy (6/6/24)
A Better World by Sarah Langan (4/9/24)
The Hollywood Con Queen by Scott C. Johnson (6/6/23)

The Memory Ward By Jon Bassoff

The Memory Ward is broken into 5 parts for different characters all who live in the perfectly perfect town of Bethlam, NV.  Henry, our neighborhood mailman, does his daily route.  It is monotony at its finest until one day Henry trips and drops letters out of his mail bag and finds them blank.  Henry decides to pay close attention to his surroundings and not just take it at face value.  That’s when he finds several oddities.  On their own, none of these things are significant, but together they show a pattern of maliciousness.  

The novel’s themes of memory, identity, and the nature of reality are explored with haunting precision. Bassoff’s prose is both lyrical and unnerving, effortlessly pulling readers into the disorienting, nightmare-like world Henry inhabits. The pacing is deliberate and measured, allowing for a slow-burn buildup of suspense and a deep immersion into the psychological labyrinth of the characters' lives.

The Memory Ward is a thought-provoking, mind-bending page-turner that will leave readers questioning their own perceptions of reality. With its beautifully crafted narrative and unsettling atmosphere, it is a testament to Bassoff’s exceptional skill as a storyteller. This novel is highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers, literary fiction, and horror—anyone looking for a haunting, immersive experience that challenges the way we see the world.

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Nemesis By Gregg Hurwitz

Evan Smoak aka Orphan X aka The Nowhere man is back in Nemesis. This installment picks right back up where Lone Wolf ended and Evan finds out that his armorer, Tommy Stojak, has (in Evan’s mind) betrayed him.  Evan built his life and career around the ten commandments instilled in him through Jack Johns.  It is safe to say, that no one expected Evan to go rogue, leave the orphan program and try to find a way to do the right thing.  Sometimes the commandments don’t always work and may need to be evaluated or added to. (yes… there is an 11th amendment.  No, I am not telling you)

Evan’s character has grown and changed with every single book.  Being an assassin with emotions would be a delicate balance. Evan’s training keeps him in check and centered because ‘the price for violating a Commandment was chaos’.   While Evan is deciding how to deal with Tommy, he runs into another problem.  A family of innocent people is run over and an 8-year-old boy is murdered.  Evan is a ‘hunter of humans.  The monster sent to kill monsters.’

True to Gregg Hurwitz’s style, this book is full of hand-to-hand combat scenes, shootouts and intense fighting that is perfectly written you can see the splinter in the wood when the door flies off the handle!  Evan Smoak is evolving.  He is changing.  He hurts.  The fact that I finished this book two days ago and I still have a hard time understanding that The Nowhere Man can have feelings should make you reflect on the journey this series takes you.

Yes, this is fiction.  I understand that, but Nemesis covers current, real-world issues that American’s deal with on a daily basis.  Violence, racism, bigotry, corrupt politicians and more are all found on these pages.  Read it. Talk about it.  Change some things.  Cheer on Orphan X!

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Not Our Daughter By Chad Zunker

Cole and Lisa Shipley are foster parents turned fugitives when the biological mother of the child they were fostering shows up on their doorstep begging them to protect the baby as she dies at their home. At the time Special Agent Mark Burns and the FBI only saw the Shipley’s as the killers because they were devastated at the news that the child was being removed from their home and they went on the run.  Assuming new identities and living a hidden life, they were missing for 14 years until a tip comes in and suddenly this quiet and unassuming life revs up.   

The love that the Shipley’s have for their daughter is authentic and will pull at your heartstrings as they try to save their daughter. The work and the preparation that they have done to keep her safe for reasons that they really have never figured out will have you cheering for them the entire time.  Not Our Daughter is a high-speed game of cat and mouse.  At breakneck speed, across several states the questions and motives come at the reader and play out just like a movie.   All the major players in this novel have a motive, the reader must hang on until the end to figure out what and why. 

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Tell Me What You Did By Carter Wilson

Poe Webb (yes named after Edgar Allen Poe) runs the top ranked podcast.  She invites people to come on to her podcast and confess what crimes they have committed to her audience.  Some are scary, some are creepy, but mostly it is people who are unburdening themselves from something that happened long ago that they can no longer be arrested for. 

 Poe, like the callers on her show, has secrets of her own.  One day, she gets an odd request from a caller and memories and secrets from her past come flooding back. This book is completely unhinged.  This is a dark and gritty psychological thriller that can be devoured nonstop.  The back and forth between podcast transcripts and what is happening in real life as she tries to come clean with her secrets and stay safe, will make this one of the best psychological thrillers of 2025.  Promise. 

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The Dragon The Eagle And The Jaguar By Rodger Carlyle

Where there is conflict there is chaos, and it is impossible to keep your finger on everything that is going on inside your country and others at the same time. Mexico has a newly elected president who wants to cut down on drug trafficking and cartel action.   Exploiting this conflict can lead to a massive amount of profit.  How?  Drugs and people are being smuggled into the US to create turmoil and unrest. At the end of the day, the most important piece to the puzzle is greed and money. 

Thadius Walker may be retired, but let’s just call it semi-retired because his skills, connections and loyalty are unmatched, and he is needed.  Chad Gritt calls upon Walker for one more (hopefully one more one more) adventure.  This time it is to figure out what is going on in Mexico before the new president is no longer in good graces with the US, her own country and let’s not forget about trying to figure out how China fits into the picture.

China begins to meddle with Mexico and the drug cartels. Many of the supplies that make the drugs that are coming into the United States are from China. They also have superior metallurgy skills which provide more advanced weapons and technology that, in the wrong hands, is even more dangerous – and when someone comes in promising untold fortune – well – the race is on.    

This is a thriller inside of a thriller. Carlyle authentically paints every location and detail, from fish markets to flour bombs, enabling readers to join Team Walker as they try to stop China and Mexico from destroying the US.

I will always jump to read anything that Rodger Carlyle writes.  Whether it is a thriller or a historical adventure, he knows what he is writing about.  His passion for history and research and current events is evident on every single page.  Carlyle is not afraid to push the boundaries and tell the story.  I was so glad to see Carmen’s name in this one.  (I may have missed it before, but since I got to meet them both in person it made it even better.) And – if I could pick one sentence in the entire book that I could hear our author say it would be “We’re having fun now!”

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Assume Nothing By Joshua Corin

Veritas. Truth. Alik Lassiter a renowned detective/crime solver from across the pond believes that there is no nobler goal than finding the truth.  

When Kat McCann was 6 years old, Lassiter helped to solve her mother’s murder. Lassiter was also the muse for famous author Carissa Miller. The dame of who-dun-it’s.    Kat and others are huge fans of both the author and the detective because her mother’s murder was fodder for a book. 

When Kat is 16 she gets to meet Lassiter at a lecture and he remembers her from his investigation. In a dream come true, he invites Kat and her guardian to his home for Christmas break.  

Lassiter is a smooth talker.  He brings people into his story.  He owns the room and because of all of the investigations that he has solved he has the law in his pockets and people begging for his time. 

Told from Kat’s POV this sassy, curious and smart-mouthed teenager gets way more than she bargained for.  Imagine knowing the victim, the murderer and all of the circumstances surrounding a horrific crime but not able to tell the truth. Or worse - being controlled like a marionette in a monster’s play.  This witty and smart approach to a whodunnit is a must read for the masses. 

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The Good Bride By Jen Marie Wiggins

The Bancroft’s hail from the small gulf coast fishing town of Blue Compass.  A year ago it was devastated by Hurricane Charlie. Small business, family homes – you name it – it was gone.  When Ruth Bancroft announces that her wedding will be at their beach house in Blue Compass, it is a social media dream, a chance to showcase the town and get publicity … or is it?    

 

This slow-burn, family drama, thriller told through multiple POV’s layers tension, drama and buried secrets perfectly.  Character development is spot on.  I especially loved having a likeable and empathic bride.  Ruth is emotional and she truly wants to do what is best and this was an enjoyable change for this genre.  Don’t worry though, everyone isn’t perfect.  Several unexpected twists throughout the book, beginning with the gunshots at the rehearsal dinner, are placed perfectly in order to keep the reader guessing all the way to the end. 

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Nobody's Hero By M.W. Craven

Ben Koenig is back!!!  Ben has had damage to his brain takes away his ability to feel or understand fear, even down to his adversaries facial expressions.  This leads to years of training, being sought after for his skills and eventually being pursued. (you are going to want to read the first book)  Book 2 picks up because Koenig has a very large bounty on his head and hiding didn’t work out as he planned.  What starts as a visit to a coffee shop for Ben to send his monthly email, eventually turns into a global pursuit uncovering secrets and leaving multiple dead bodies in its wake. 

The Acacia Avenue Protocol, a cryptic directive, has resurfaced and Ben is needed because everyone who can stop it dead.  What makes it better is that one of the names on this list, was killed by Ben Koenig himself.  Ben loves to drop his random spiel of information and how he got to his conclusion.  He irritates those around him, especially his handler Jen Draper, but for me, it’s perfect.  This book has so much going on you just can’t stop.  A father daughter pair of contract killers, a woman presumed dead for decades, corrupt cops, a lot of action and a twist at the end that you will NOT see coming.  It’s perfect.  I can’t wait to see what’s next.

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Baker By Michele Packard

I have read every single book in the Matti Baker Thriller/AESOP series, and they have ALL surpassed my expectations.  Matti Baker is more than a fierce protagonist.  She is relentless in her fight to protect her family and her country.  She is demanding of everyone around her, but her spirit pulls the best out of the people around her.  Even with her smart-ass attitude and drive to serve and protect she has an unlimited amount of love for God, her family, friends and for what is right. 

Michele Packard can pull from history and current events that run parallel to the story line which will make you ask yourself – ‘What if this really happened?’ or ‘Is this true?’  Each action sequence and/or location is immersive, and the reader is able to see through Matti’s eyes what is happening.  I love that this story is told from Matti’s perspective.  She tells her story to the reader directly – especially while using her little side comments.  (Perfect)

The author integrates songs and movies that we all grew up with perfectly into the storyline.  This makes it easy to imagine exactly what the protagonist sees and what she is doing and, in my opinion, makes it personal.  Matti says out loud what most of us are thinking.  (maybe that’s just me.. but I said it so who cares)  This last installment focuses on the power of AI and its ability to arm the world.  With what?  It’s limitless.  All the agencies that are in place to protect us seem to lose track of the bigger picture.  Is it greed and money keeping them from their job, is it bureaucratic red tape or willful ignorance?  

In a world on the brink of chaos, Matti stands at the crossroads of family and destiny, caught in a pulse-pounding journey to confront insurmountable odds. Every step she takes brings her closer to a monumental struggle—one that will demand everything she has. As she fights against overwhelming forces, the weight of justice rests heavily on her shoulders, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.  Don’t miss Baker.  (I think Matti can give Scot Harvath a run for his money)

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The Egyptian Enigma By David Darling

Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time!  Ryan Petey has drank too many energy drinks and dips into an alley to pee.  He happens upon a deadly fight between two gangs.  While he is hiding, he sees a cross-like shape with a loop at the top. He calls 911 and reports the death.  End of story, right?  Nope.  Ryan sees another person die and the symbol appears again.  Two deaths cannot be coincidental!   

Ryan must figure out what is going on.  It turns out this glowing symbol is the ankh; an ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol and he needs more information.  He seeks out the help of Dr. Crystal Kowalska, an Egyptian curator at a museum.  Questions compounded questions and everything unraveled for Ryan faster than humanly possible.  (pun intended)

The Egyptian Enigma has short chapters and alternating timelines – present and 2560 BC – which is perfect to layer in the necessary amount of Egyptian history.  When Ryan finds out that he has a power that has been searched for decades, and that he is suddenly worth more money than can be imagined, the race to find him and use his abilities is on!   Greed and the need for knowledge and power take you all over the world using perfectly intertwined elements of the science fiction, paranormal and thriller stories that we love!

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Out In The Cold By Steve Urszenyi

Alex Martel is a beautiful, self-confident, smart, former medic, who has worked with Interpol, CIA and FBI.  She has connections all over the world with important people, but she is stubborn and to quote Celeste “she is the most infuriating Interpol agent’ hired.  Alex prefers to operate alone and is currently a contract employee.  “More precisely a global response staff special agent and subject matter expert” but is loyal to a fault and her pull to Caleb and to her team is always there.  Caleb, her counterpart and the man with a giant crush on Alex does what he does in the name of his fellow soldiers, special operators and country.  He is more inclined to operate within the boundaries than Alex and they balance each other out. 

Out in the Cold is very closely related to current events in the world including Russia invading Ukraine, and power plays by governing officials.  The question remains – is starting another world war worth it to show how strong the United States is or is it just about power, money and greed.  There is a lot of action, which continually propels this book forward.  Immersive locations are the background for the story - anywhere from Langley to the Baltic Sea.  Alex is a strong, kick ass heroine whose skills are continually put to the test as she navigates deadly situations and attempts to unravel traitors and conspiracies at the highest level of power.   I cannot wait to see what happens next!

Spoiler – my favorite part of the entire book is when Caleb punches Street in the throat.  Best.  Scene.  Ever!

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Burn This Night By Alex Kenna

If you haven’t read What Meets the Eye, I strongly recommend it.  While this could be read as a standalone, it is so much better to watch Kate grow as a character as her story progresses.  Burn This Night is told in alternating timelines through various first-person narratives in each chapter which gives the reader a 360-degree view of all the characters.

Kate Myles, former LAPD Detective, turned PI, lost her job and her family after she was involved in an on-duty car accident with a drunk driver.  She became addicted to pain medication and her life took an, all to real, downward spiral.  Kate has been called to investigate an incident in Idlewood, CA where a young lady burned in her cabin.  The police arrested her brother, but the family is certain that the brother was not the culprit.

Kate’s life has been further flipped upside down when she finds out that her father, the one who raised her, is not her biological father.  She wants answers.  Kate has always felt as if she didn’t fit in.  It’s not that her dad wasn’t a great man – I mean Kate is a PI for goodness sakes and curiosity drives her.

Add in one more story line, there is a cold case in Idlewood.  20 years ago, a young lady was murdered, and the case is unsolved.  DNA evidence that is uploaded brings another clue all this time later.    Ok, I know that sounds like a lot and how can you possibly have three story lines going and wrap it all up in a cozy mystery?  Listen, Alex Kenna does just that. 

This is a no fluff page turner that will keep you guessing.   Kate is a complex character.  A strong female protagonist that we love, admire, understand and root for.  She is relatable.  Things like addiction, divorce, family issues and custody battles that bring her to life; Kate is someone you know.   Kenna has made her mark, and I will not miss the next installment of this series.  There is even a little romance, hope and healing that makes this an uplifting mystery that is tied up with a bow and leaves the reader ready for the next Kate Myles adventure. 

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The Lake Of Lost Girls By Katherine Greene

This book checks all the boxes for me.  Alternating timelines, unsolved cold cases, dark secrets, multiple unreliable characters and a sister who wants to know the truth are perfectly woven together to make this a haunting novel that you do not want to miss. (Let’s not forget the podcast clips that are thrown in – AHHH its perfect!)

Jessica Fadley left for college in the fall of 1998.  On her sister Lindsay’s 6th birthday, she goes missing from her home.  Jessica isn’t the only girl from college that went missing that year.  There were three others, and no bodies or clues have ever been found.  The investigation went cold, and no answers were given.  There are clues and similarities that tie the girls together, but apparently some secrets are best left hidden.  Twenty four years later when a podcast picks up this cold case and a journalist, Ryan, comes to town, the heated story picks right back up as secrets, lies and bodies are found in the lake.    

This is a fast paced bingeable read.  It is also one that you want/need to read with someone because when the ending hits – you are going to need to talk about it out loud.  You can’t hold it in.  I am really looking forward to seeing what else Katherine Greene writes.  I will be following her closely!

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In Too Deep By Lee Child & Andrew Child

Reacher wakes up with no short-term memory, handcuffed to a table and so begins In Too Deep.  Like other Jack Reacher novels, this can be read as a standalone, but the adventure continues and the characters, both familiar and new, are on a multiple storyline adventure that will have you burning through the pages.  The story jumps between multiple POV’s and does NOT get bogged down. 

Fletcher, Vidic, Kane and Paris are thieves.  Art forgeries, corporate blackmail, you name it – if it is attached to money they will take it.  They will double cross each other and none can be trusted.  Reacher has been thrown into their mess and involved in the worst possible situation and has no idea how he got there. Little pieces to the missing information puzzle (IYKYK) come back as the story progresses. 

For fans of the entire series, we get what we are expecting, Reacher knows what time it is, the diner is there, black coffee and a woman.  The pace in this one NEVER slows down.  Reacher kicks a lot of ass and kills a lot of people.  Rogue FBI agents, a police detective, and a de facto leader of thieves allow the twists and turns to come at the reader, and some that will have you saying – ‘I did not see that coming.’ 

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Good Looking Ugly By Rob D. Smith

I could not wait to get my hands on this.   A Kentucky author and a story steeped in Bluegrass culture will win me over every time.  Daniel Brown may be my favorite anti-hero ever.  Each character in this debut novel is flawed and rooted in 100% absolute truth.  Truth for generations.  It is raw and real. 

As the story progresses and we get to know Daniel, Jayla and others; little pieces of their history growing up are given to us in a way that we get to know and love them.  Scenes inside of the cock fighting ring, The Kentucky Fried Mafia and the Sportsman’s Clubs are immersive and authentic.  (I will never admit that I have been to anything other than a moose lodge - maybe)  The interaction with the grandmother – shew wee!!! (Yes, I have been hit by a wooden spoon.)   

Good Looking Ugly is way more than a down and dirty, gritty crime thriller.  Outcasted members of society, broken homes, drug addicts and jailbirds have more than one side to their story.  The reader is on an adventure like no other.  We get to watch priorities change, love grow, and anger be stifled.  We get to see vigilante justice and trades made.  I have so much hope that this is just the first book in a series and Daniel finishes up what was started. 

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Origin Story By A.M. Adair

Elyse Tyson awakes from a coma, shackled to her bed, with  no memory of how she got there or who she was.  Eylse finds out that she is a serial killer who admitted to the ruthless killings and has no plan to stop.  So, the question remains, is her amnesia real or is it a cop out to get out of the death penalty that she is facing. 

Prison life isn’t easy, but can you imagine prison life as a weak person, who has no idea how they got there and having a ringleader of a gang inside the women’s prison after you?  This novella was suffocating at times.  I could feel the walls closing in on Elyse in one scenario, and as the story progresses, I was cheering on a serial killer.

To say that I was chomping at the bit for this one is an understatement!  While this is a novella, it is action packed from the start and will not let up until the end, leaving the reader breathless and wondering if A.M. Adair and all her talent will bring Elyse Tyson forward in the future.  (please?)

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The Slate By Matthew Fitzsimmons

Meet Agatha Cardiff.  20 years ago she was a political operative and fixer working for Congressman Paul Paxton as his chief of staff.  She was asked to cover up a scandal that would ruin his political career.  Agatha was good at her job and she walked away. Today, she is living off the grid, secluded.  However, now Paul Paxton is the President. Agatha being the competitive and gifted liar that she is, becomes drawn into the political scene once again. 

From the prologue to the conclusion I was drawn in and held there. This book has a very 'real' feel to it.  The events that happen on the pages are plausible and could happen.  Agatha Cardiff may be flawed, but she is real and the kind of heroine that you will get behind and want to see more of.  This is a very well-paced, page turning character driven novel, that I did not want to take a break from reading.  

Reading this as our nation gets closer and closer to a major election heightened everything for me.  It really highlights just how dysfunctional and corrupt our political system is no matter what side of the fence you are on.  Staffers, lobbyists, journalists, more Congressmen, and the Russian mob all figure into the dynamic, giving Agatha a dangerous and interconnected plot to unravel.  I hope there is a sequel to this story.  Agatha is an amazing character.

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Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Hometown Vendetta By Traci Hunter Abramson

A domestic terrorism incident at a FEMA building brings FBI Special Agent Amberlynn Reiner and Marine Captain Luke Steele together in the most unlikely way. They must work together to identify those responsible for the bombing when a class ring is recognized by Luke from a photo during the investigation.  Luke, Amberlynn and her team at the FBI are trying to identify all the players on a small-town high school championship football team and what connects those individuals to the bombing.  However, time is of the essence, because they believe that a second bomb is to be detonated soon.  Together they head off to Luke’s hometown for his 15-year high school reunion. 

Abramson has put together a cast of characters that are endearing and familiar.  The tidbits of their pasts are dropped in perfectly so that you get more history and connection with each page.  Hometown Vendetta is a fast paced and intriguing political thriller.   (add in a little clean romance and I say winner winner chicken dinner).  Hands down a stay up all-night barn burner.  I have no idea how she did it but before I was 1/3 of the way through, I was in love with Luke and Amberlyn and I cannot wait to see where they go next. 

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Purchase Hometown Vendetta
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

Somewhere By Matthew Reed Williams

I am one of the very lucky ones who was able to ARC read this.  I am telling you this because I went into it with only the blurb and no reviews to compare it to and I am so glad that I did.  I am a ‘lean all the way in’ reader and I could not have predicted how much I enjoyed this book.  I have marked and tabbed and talked about this book BOTH times I read it. I could give you a play by play and my version of a blurb or I can try and convince your next must read! 

Matthew Reed Williams has ripped the canvas between the material world and the immaterial world.  He has flawlessly joined horror and paranormal together to make a book that needs to be read twice.  See the second time, you will see all the easter eggs and the clues that were dropped along the way and it will be even more cohesive.  This man is talented. 

Lee knows from the beginning that something is amiss in this picture (IYKYK) perfect town.  The house he is living in seems to be coming to life at the same time every night.  The descriptions of the things and people that Lee sees are so vibrant and full of depth that the reader can see, smell and taste them.  I love that the author uses common place words that connect it and make it that much more personal.
“Bones and intestines beneath, like white chop sticks poking out of a bowl of red soaked oozing noodles.”  
“The sound was not reverberating through the woods, but rather spilling out of the woman’s mouth, trickling out like a noxious gas.”
”The shadow was rhythmic, almost like a metronome appearing and disappearing...”

The pacing is perfect.  There is no down time in the middle, only a need to figure out what is going on in Somewhere.  There is no doubt that you, dear reader, will want to know what ‘is true’.  Our author integrates Biblical references throughout the book that just seals the horror vibe for me.  Prepare to be scared, breathless and turn the pages at mach speed and hope to goodness you never find Somewhere. 

Follow Teresa on Twitter or Instagram or contact her via the site.

Purchase Somewhere
(Note: most indie bookstores can fulfill an order as quickly as larger retailers. Please consider contacting them for your next purchase.)

Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen

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