The Sanctuary by Katrine Engberg

 

Publication: February 7, 2023

Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press

Source: Publisher

 

Synopsis:

 

From internationally bestselling author Katrine Engberg, the series that is a “gripping addition to the Scandinavian crime fiction pantheon” ( Oprah Daily ) comes to a stunning conclusion as Jeppe Kørner and Anette Werner rush to untangle a long-simmering mystery before a brutal killer strikes again.

Jeppe Kørner, on leave from the police force and nursing a broken heart, has taken refuge on the island of Bornholm for the winter. Also on the island is Esther de Laurenti, a writer working on a biography on a female anthropologist with a mysterious past and coming to terms with her own crushing sense of loneliness in the wake of a dear friend’s death. When Jeppe lends a helping hand at the island’s local sawmill, he begins to realize that the island may not be the peaceful refuge it appears to be.

Back in Copenhagen, Anette Werner is tasked with leading the investigation into a severed corpse discovered on a downtown playground. As she follows the strange trail of clues, they all seem to lead back to Bornholm. With an innocent offer to check out a lead, Jeppe unwittingly finds himself in the crosshairs of a sinister mystery rooted in the past, forcing him to team up with Anette and Esther to unravel the island’s secrets before it’s too late.

With her signature “unforgettable characters and brilliant plot twists” (Kathy Reichs, #1 New York Times bestselling author), Katrine Engberg weaves a satisfying and white-knuckled finale to her Korner and Werner series that is a modern classic of Scandinavian noir.

 

******

The story takes place through a series of letters from the past and several characters in the present…Annette, Jeppe, and Esther. Though it did not seem like it at first, they each contributed to the story in their own way. It was interesting to read the different points of view and try to figure out how everything would connect in the end. That curiosity kept me turning page after page. 

 

Even though The Sanctuary is book 5 of the Korner & Werner series, I did not feel lost with this being my first book by Katrine Enberg. If anything, now I want to go back and read the other four books to see what I have been missing. The author created a story that is well written and was able to keep me guessing until the very end. There were several times that I thought I knew the who but wasn’t 100% sure of the why…And man was I completely wrong. I never saw the end coming. The Sanctuary is an atmospheric tale that grabbed my attention from the very first page. I didn’t devour the story in one go, but instead I savored it over the course of several days. It was entertaining, dark, and completely satisfying. 

Sometimes mysteries can be predictable, but happily this one was not. At least not for me. 

 

The Sanctuary is an atmospheric tale that grabbed my attention from the very first page. I didn’t devour the story in one go, but instead I savored it over the course of several days. It was entertaining, dark, and completely satisfying.

 

 

 

RATING: 4 OUT OF 5.

 

 

BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon | B&N | Google Books | Kobo

Books-a-Million | Apple Books | Book Depository

Join the Addiction:

My Blog: | Twitter | BlogLovin’ | Facebook

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

 

Publication: March 15, 2022

Publisher: Berkley

Source: Purchased my own copy

 

Synopsis:

 

A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel. 

In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect--a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.

Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases--a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea's surprise, Beth says yes.

They meet regularly at Beth's mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she's not looking, and she could swear she's seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn't right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house? 

 

 

******

“Something about the Greer mansion stifled laughter and killed happiness. It might sound dramatic, but anyone who had lived there knew it was true.”

 

The Book of Cold Cases weaves back and forth between two POV’s; Shea and Beth. Beth’s POV is the past…we get to see what her life was like when she was younger, and when her parents were alive. Shea’s POV is current day. These two women couldn’t be any more different, yet they each share a troubling past they would like to escape. Shea tries to move forward in her life while running her true crime website when she isn’t working as a receptionist in a doctor’s office. It’s because of her job at the doctor’s office that she runs into Beth. Once Beth and Shea cross paths, their lives will be forever altered. 

 

Shea is very inquisitive. A seeker of justice and the truth. Shea was very determined to find out the truth no matter how long it took or what she had to do. I liked her character at first. Towards the end, her attitude sort of shifted and I didn’t really care for that too much. 

 

Beth is basically living a self-imposed isolated life at her family’s mansion. A place very few people go to outside of Beth’s family and lawyer. She comes across as cold and manipulative. She is not very likable, however as the story progresses, I did find myself empathizing with her plight a little more. The further into the story I got, the more I kept questioning, who the murderer truly was and if Beth really was that good at manipulation.

 

There is something about a spooky yet lively mansion that just really makes a paranormal mystery even more enticing. 

I came into this story, looking for a good mystery thriller, and discovered an entertaining paranormal mystery. There were some good creepy and atmospheric parts, but I wish it would have been amped up a little more than it was. Though the story started off a little slow and dragged in the middle some, it was well written, and my interest was held all the way through. 

 

 

 

 

RATING: 3½ OUT OF 5.

 

 

BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon | B&N | Google Books | Kobo

Books-a-Million | Apple Books | Book Depository

Join the Addiction:

My Blog: | Twitter | BlogLovin’ | Facebook

Double Take (Madison Kelly #2) by Elizabeth Breck

 

Publication: October 12, 2021

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Source: Publisher

 

Synopsis:

 

When a young journalist goes missing in sunny San Diego, P.I. Madison Kelly learns the true price of knowing too much. 

It's a perfect San Diego fall--cool and crisp with bright blue skies. But not everything is right in the sunny idyll dubbed America's Finest City. Young journalist Barrett Brown has been missing for a week, and her boyfriend hires private investigator Madison Kelly to find her. Right away, Barrett reminds Madison of a younger version of herself: smart, ambitious, and a loner.

As she launches her investigation, Madison realizes that Barrett's disappearance is connected to a big story she was chasing--and she sets out to walk in Barrett's footsteps to trace her whereabouts. As the trail grows colder, things begin to heat up between Madison and Barrett's boyfriend. But he doesn't seem to be telling everything he knows, and Madison gets the feeling that her every move is being watched. What dirty secrets lie at the heart of Barrett's big lead?

If Madison can't get to the bottom of the case in time, she could be in line to become the next victim. 

 

******

 

I was excited to jump back into the world of Madison Kelly again with Double Take. It was a very easy story to get into and my interest was piqued from the first chapter. I could tell right away that there was more to the story than meets the eye. This case was not your average missing person’s case. Not only was Madison trying to find a missing Barrett, but she was also investigating what story Barrett was looking into herself.  It was interesting to see how everything was connected and how it would all come together. 

 

This time, Madison seemed to have a slightly bigger network of friends/people she could talk to and who could help her investigate things. Even though Madison likes to do things her own way and usually by herself, it was a nice change to have her not do everything on her own and to rely on others, even if it was just for something small.   

 

There were a few red flags when it came to certain characters or situations that I thought Madison with all her experience should have realized there was something strange going on. Madison should have involved the police a lot sooner than when she did also. That just makes the story even more entertaining though.  All in all, I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the next mystery that Madison aims to solve.  

 

 

RATING: 3½ OUT OF 5.

 

 

BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon | B&N | Google Books | Kobo

Books-a-Million | Apple Books| Book Depository

Join the Addiction:

My Blog: | Twitter | BlogLovin’ | Facebook

 

 

Anonymous: A Madison Kelly Mystery #1 by Elizabeth Breck

Publication: November 10, 2020

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Source: Publisher/Purchased

 

Synopsis:

 

Madison Kelly, a San Diego private investigator, arrives home to a note stabbed to her front door: "Stop investigating me, or I will hunt you down and kill you." The only problem? Madison hasn't been investigating anyone--she's been taking time off to figure out what to do with her life. But how does she prove a negative? The only way to remove the threat is to do exactly what “Anonymous”, the note writer, is telling her not to do: investigate to see who left it. Could this have something to do with the true crime podcast she’s been tweeting about, and the missing girls?

The girls went missing, two years apart, after a night at the clubs in San Diego's famed Gaslamp Quarter, and Madison had been probing the internet for clues. She discovers that someone has been one step ahead of her, monitoring her tweets to prevent her from getting too close. Soon Madison's investigation brings up more questions than answers: are the disappearances connected? Are the girls dead or did they just walk away from their lives? And who is Anonymous, the person who will stop at nothing to keep Madison from learning the truth?

As she closes in, so does Anonymous. Set against a backdrop of surfer culture and coffee houses of San Diego, Anonymous follows Madison as she confronts the reality of the girls' disappearance in a terrifying climax where the hunter becomes the hunted--and Madison is running for her life.

 

******

 

Anonymous as an easy red and quickly caught my interest from the very first chapter. 

 

I have what could be considered a spoiler alert below. I had an issue with one of the characters in the book and his behavior but that does not affect the mystery portion of the story at all in my opinion. Still I am just putting it out there.

 

 

 

 

***SPOILER ALERT***

 

*

*

*

*

*

*

 

I disliked the whole stalker situation. My main issue with it was the guy who was the stalker…he is a police officer and an acquaintance of Madison. If I remember correctly, he would sit outside her home at night and watch her. Supposedly because he was curious/fascinated by her. Madison even attempted to sort of sweep things under the rug and make it seem like it wasn’t that big of a deal. She never even reported him for his behavior. And the guy didn’t even truly apologize until the end. During the middle of the story, he said he was sorry he guessed…it wasn’t a big deal because no one got hurt and she didn’t really get scared…so I guess those are the requirements for a situation to be officially called stalking. Even when he did apologize Madison still tried to make it seem like it wasn’t a problem. I just thought it was pretty strange and I was very annoyed by it. Unless he was on a stakeout and watching her because she was a suspect or for her protection, it is creepy and unprofessional behavior. It doesn’t matter if anyone got hurt or not. 

So that was my biggest problem with the book. Luckily, he didn’t have a huge presence in the story, and I could ignore him and that situation…for the most part. 

 

Having said all of that, I did enjoy the story. It was well written and there was never really a dull moment. The mystery was appealing and kept my attention. It was easy to get caught up in the story and question what exactly was going on and who could be behind it all. I like a good PI story especially if the PI is a woman. Madison is an interesting character. She is smart, quick thinking, and determined to discover the truth no matter the risk. She did make some weird choices in the story though, that had me questioning her thought process. But that added to the drama. I am curious to see what other cases Madison gets involved in, in the future. 

 

 

 

 

RATING: 3½-4 OUT OF 5.

 

 

BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon | B&N | Google | Kobo

Books-a-Million | iTunes Audio | Book Depository

Join the Addiction:

My Blog: | Twitter | BlogLovin’ | Facebook

The Reckoning (Children’s House #2) by Yrsa Sigurdardóttir

Publication: February 12, 2019

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Source: Purchased My Own Copy

Synopsis:

The Reckoning is the stunning follow-up to The Legacy, which was the start of a thrilling new series that Booklist (starred) recommends for fans of Tana French. 

Vaka sits, regretting her choice of coat, on the cold steps of her new school. Her father appears to have forgotten to pick her up, her mother has forgotten to give her this week’s pocket money, and the school is already locked for the day. Grownups, she decides, are useless.

With no way to call home, she resigns herself to waiting on the steps until her father remembers her. When a girl approaches, Vaka recognizes her immediately from class, and from her unusual appearance: two of her fingers are missing. The girl lives at the back of the school, on the other side of a high fence, and Vaka asks to call her father from the girl's house. That afternoon is the last time anyone sees Vaka.

Detective Huldar and child psychologist Freyja are called in. Soon, they find themselves at the heart of another shocking case.

From the international number one-bestselling author of The Silence of the Sea, winner of the 2015 Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel Yrsa Sigurdardottir returns with the follow-up to The Legacy.

******

This was the first time that I dipped my toe into the international crime novel world and I have to say I'm not even a little bit disappointed. Well I am disappointed that I didn't try this sooner than I did.

The Reckoning was a very well done crime novel. This is the second book in The Children’s House series. I did not read the first book, The Legacy before reading The Reckoning though. There were events that took place in The Legacy that were referenced a few times in this book and even though I didn't know exactly what happened previously, it didn't hinder my experience while reading The Reckoning.

The story starts in the past, where a horrible crime was committed and then we fast forward several years later where we get to see the further effects that that crime has had on several people in this story. We also become entangled in another crime that may or may not be connected. One that might be predicting future murders….

It was hard for me to keep the names straight at first, but after a few chapters I got it down. I really enjoyed getting to know the two main characters Huldar and Freyja. They have very different personalities. They are flawed, but they’re also both smart and determined people. Not to mention, they work well together. The author, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir does a great job of creating a solid mystery and weaving clues throughout the story while connecting all of these characters and their situations. One thing I was super excited about was that I never guessed who the killer was. This mystery kept me guessing all the way to the end. Even after I thought I knew what was going to happen and how things were going to play out...That ending threw me for yet another loop! Well done.

RATING: 4½ out of 5.

BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Google

Books-a-Million | Book Depository | iTunes

Join the Addiction:

My Blog | Twitter | BlogLovin’ | Facebook | Instagram

The Winter Sister by Megan Collins

Publication: February 5, 2019

Publisher: Touchstone

Source: Publisher

Synopsis:                                                             

In this spellbinding and suspenseful debut, a young woman haunted by the past returns home to care for her ailing mother and begins to dig deeper into her sister’s unsolved murder.

Sixteen years ago, Sylvie’s sister Persephone never came home. Out too late with the boyfriend she was forbidden to see, Persephone was missing for three days before her body was found—and years later, her murder remains unsolved.

In the present day, Sylvie returns home to care for her estranged mother, Annie, as she undergoes treatment for cancer. Prone to unexplained “Dark Days” even before Persephone’s death, Annie’s once-close bond with Sylvie dissolved in the weeks after their loss, making for an uncomfortable reunion all these years later. Worse, Persephone’s former boyfriend, Ben, is now a nurse at the cancer center where Annie is being treated. Sylvie’s always believed Ben was responsible for the murder—but she carries her own guilt about that night, guilt that traps her in the past while the world goes on around her.

As she navigates the complicated relationship with her mother, Sylvie begins to uncover the secrets that fill their house—and what really happened the night Persephone died. As it turns out, the truth really will set you free, once you can bear to look at it.

The Winter Sister is a mesmerizing portrayal of the complex bond between sisters, between mothers and daughters alike, and forces us to ask ourselves—how well do we really know the people we love most?

******

“We all played our part, Sylvie. We all played our part.”

It seems like everyone is feeling the guilt over Persephone's death. Each blaming themselves and each other for the role they may have played in her murder.

Persephone's mom, Annie turned into an alcoholic that shut herself off from the rest of the world. She refuses to communicate with anyone, even her own daughter Sylvie. Is  the sudden change in Annie’s health, the wakeup call she needs in order to repair her fragile family?

Sylvie, Persephone’s sister, blames herself for what happened to Persephone that night. And because of that belief, she lives under the weight of that guilt every single day to the point where she's just coasting through life not really enjoying it. But then again, she thinks she shouldn't really get the chance to enjoy her life.

Persephone's boyfriend Ben's life is on an upswing. He's a nurse now and helps cancer patients. During the course of the story I began to wonder how much of an interest does Ben really have in nursing. Is he trying to make amends for past wrongs? Is it because he feels guilty over what happened to Persephone all those years ago? Is it because he murdered Persephone and he feels like this is atonement for him? The author had me questioning almost everyone’s motives.

The Winter Sister surprised me. It's a story that drew me in page by page until the next thing I knew, I was fully ensconced in it...in the lives of Sylvie, Annie, Ben, and of course Persephone. I had to know what secrets they were keeping and what really happened the night that Persephone went missing. The author, Megan Collins does a great job of weaving these characters stories together and creating a suspenseful yet emotionally complex story that tugs at your heartstrings and makes you want to keep reading until you finish the whole book. And that is exactly what happened to me. I read this book in one day and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look forward to seeing what this author writes next.

RATING: 4 out of 5.

BUY THE BOOK:

Amazon | B&N | Kobo  | Google

Books-a-Million | Book Depository | iTunes

 

Join the Addiction:

My Blog | Twitter | BlogLovin’ | Facebook | Instagram