mystery

Missed one, July 15, 2023

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Too many distractions today. I forgot about the plan to buy book 2 to go along with one of today’s new books. I could say oh well and move on but that idea doesn’t work for me this time. Here it is…

Poppy’s Path to Love: Women’s Fiction – Inspirational Romance (Great Smoky Mountain Getaways Book 2)

When a job for a full-time nanny/housekeeper is posted in Langdon, NC, Poppy Delacorte is quick to apply. Jumping at the opportunity to move after a public shaming by her deceitful ex-boyfriend, she accepts the offer.

When she arrives at her destination, Poppy learns there’s been some kind of mix-up at the agency and her new employer refuses to hire her because she’s not a gray-haired older woman. Something about younger women working for him and vying for the next Mrs. Jordan Perry position. But before she can even make arrangements to figure out what to do or where to go next, Jordan seeks her out and offers her a temporary arrangement since he has no one to watch Katrina.

Poppy is secretly relieved with the reprieve, vowing to be the perfect nanny/housekeeper so that it becomes a permanent arrangement.

Jordan leaves on business—which in turn, leaves Poppy and Katrina trying to muddle through their new relationship and life. Except she doesn’t always get it right, discovering that teaching and nannying are two very different jobs.

Will Poppy need to move on and keeping searching for the place where she belongs and God’s plan for her life, or could this be where she finally puts down roots?

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We were settled on Romance in the last post but a must-have mystery has surfaced. A change to a different genre won’t be a bad thing. This is book three and since we’ve read book two in this series it’s an opportunity that can’t be missed

Dangerous Depths (Aloha Reef Series Book 3)

Sometimes life’s most precious treasure lies at Dangerous Depths.

Leia ditched a promising medical career to settle on a secluded island of Hawaii. She ditched Bane, too, and he’s come to the island to find out why. He’s also in search of a fortune rumored to lie offshore. But an act of sabotage that pushes Bane closer to Leia plunges them both into a tangle of emotion—just as a series of threatening events grip the island.

Theft, a friend’s death, a bizarre intruder, hints of a second treasure . . . and even murder—how can they sort it all out when everyone on the island has something to hide?

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I’m quitting now, before things get any more out of hand. Between the two posts today we have 12 new books.

I’m between reads so it’s wide open for the chance to pick one of them next. I’ll let you know how it goes. Poppy’s Path looks interesting.

Clearing out the read pile, July 12, 2023

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One thing I really enjoyed about these first books – they were situations unlike anything I’ve read recently, and I loved them. There were several others standing out for me this way too but I’m not sure I can identify them again. Too many read after them and my memories have become foggy. Everything included in this list was excellent and a great experience, though. There were a few others that didn’t measure up and won’t be shared.

A Christmas to Remember was definitely a different and highly enjoyable read.

My current read is Within These Gilded Halls and I’m still trying to decide if I love it.

One more enjoyable read that I missed including.

That’s it for now.

New book suggestions July 10, 2023

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It’s catch-up time, for the build-up of regular suggestion emails. With my nose in a book most of the weekend, emails were not on my radar and things have gotten a little out of hand. I see some of the mentions are still available and one seems interesting. Maybe there will be more than one. That would be awesome.

We’ve read this first author several times and it’s nice to see her again. BookBub is responsible for this suggestion.

Grave Pursuits (Pennsylvania Parks Book 1) 

When a hiker goes missing and Emily discovers a skull, she finds herself targeted by a dangerous serial killer, putting her faith and love to the test. As the case gains national attention, Emily turns to her high school sweetheart and seasoned detective, Wade Brunner, for help in this Christian mystery thriller. Together, they embark on an exciting adventure, uncovering sinister secrets lurking in the park and solving a small-town mystery.

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This next one is an author we’ve seen several times and it will be a light read for a change of pace after the last one. Sounds like fantasy. A BookRunes suggestion.

A Christmas to Remember

Time for a Little Christmas Magic?

It’s December in small-town Indiana, and the life of nineteen-year-old Ellie Amerson has been turned upside down. Her mother remarried, and Ellie is no longer welcome in her own house. Sent to Grandpa’s cozy home, she finds a comforting refuge but is handed a detailed project. Can she complete the tasks in time? Her job at the diner has demands of its own.

When a mysterious cat named Trance appears, Ellie begins to have unusual dreams, too vivid to be imagined. She is shocked to learn the places where Trance had taken her are real. In the shadowy time between times, she discovers a handsome young man who desperately needs her help. The more she learns about him, the fonder her heart grows. Can she put the pieces together and save him before time runs out, or will she be lost from her world forever? What will this Christmas bring?

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So, browsing produced this next one. I’m interested for more than one reason but one is that we’ve read book 3 in this series, so why not read book 2 and see what it is about?

Love on Ice (Original Six Hockey Romance series Book 2)

She’s focused on winning gold. He wants to lose the player tag. Can a fake relationship become something real?

Aussie short track skater Holly Travers has one goal – make the Vancouver Games, no matter what it takes. She has no time for distractions, even if they come in the handsome form of her Canadian best friend’s twin brother. This hockey player may say he’s not a player, but can she trust him?
Brent Karlsson has one goal – make his sister’s best friend realize he’s a changed man and she should give him a chance. When a set-up in Hawaii helps these two opposites realize they have more in common than they thought, what happens when he wants to turn their fake relationship into something real? And how can a relationship work when these two elite athletes never see each other and live on opposite sides of the world?

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Another complete change of pace from BookBub. We’ve read a number of books from this author but very few quite like this one.

Keeping Bailey (A Forever Home Novel Book 4)

Through no fault of her own and after spending her entire life with an owner she loves, Bailey’s life is turned upside down. She’s dropped off at the Humane Society where Kim Harper works as the Animal Behavior Manager. Alone and confused, Bailey shuts down completely. She won’t eat or even acknowledge anyone who reaches out to her. Kim knows older dogs are hard to re-home. If Bailey can’t come out of this, it will be impossible.

A retired widow named Rhonda Hawthorne volunteers at the shelter. Rhonda’s dog recently passed away after a long and full life. Rhonda can’t even think about getting another one but hopes doing this will give her a chance to be around dogs, make a small difference in their lives, but without making a permanent commitment. Soon she decides to do whatever she can to help Bailey, before it’s too late. What life-changing difference will this decision create in her own life?

Kim Harper is also wondering about something else…will Ned, the boyfriend she loves, ever get serious and pop the question?

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Last but not least, from a final browse. This will be a new experience with an author new to us. The first chapter has sealed the deal for me.

Within These Gilded Halls: A Regency Romance

Hidden treasure and betrayal mingle with unexpected love within the walls of Avonthorpe Hall.

After studying art under Miss Drake, a renowned painter, Phoebe Radcliff is certain she can finally move beyond the childish mistake that’s kept her away from home. She is thrilled when Miss Drake employs her to complete a complicated ballroom renovation.

Everything changes, however, the moment Miss Drake is murdered. With her last breath she imparts the location of a clue to Phoebe. Can the biggest secret of Avonthorpe Hall be true—the rumored treasure real? Phoebe is tasked to finish her work in the ballroom by Miss Drake’s infuriatingly regimented yet all-too-handsome nephew, Lt. Graham Burke. Determined to fulfill the promise she made to her beloved teacher to find the treasure, Phoebe also works to uncover the truth about Miss Drake’s death—and she must do so before Lt. Burke leases the house.

But dark shadows line the gilded halls of Avonthorpe, and soon enough Phoebe realizes she’s not the only person who knows about the clues. What’s worse, she needs Lt. Burke’s help to stay ahead of whoever is hard on her heels. If only she weren’t so attracted to him.

Caught up in a deadly race for answers, Phoebe must find a way to breach the shroud of lies that surrounds every last resident in the house and, more importantly, face a past she’s been running away from for far too long.

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Five new books! A very nice way to start off the week.

Before heading into today’s search I was having trouble settling on a new read. This new list is looking entirely too enticing.

As for next post, the read pile is building into the double digits and needs to be cleared out again. Sounds like a good plan to me.

See you again soon.

Sheep Gate Publishing suggestions, June 30, 2023

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Sheep Gate Publishing is featuring an author we’ve read and enjoyed recently. With great prices, it’s a good chance to explore this author a little more. This first book is the main one they were featuring, the others showed up while I was browsing.

Facing the Darkness (Against the Darkness Book 1) 

She scuttled the CCP’s biowarfare plans. When they catch her, she will pay.
Dr. Meiling Chen is a brilliant young virologist with a groundbreaking discovery that could change the face of biowarfare. But when she discovers the Chinese Communist Party’s plans to misuse her work, she knows she must act – even if it means risking her own life. On the run from CCP agents, she must find her way to America while staying one step ahead of her pursuers. 
Ryan Adams, a meteorologist and well-known blogger in Bend, Oregon, is desperate for reliable information on China’s bioweapons program. But when Meiling’s path crosses his, he finds himself in the middle of a deadly game of cat and mouse. With the CCP agents in hot pursuit, Meiling and Ryan must find a way to keep the truth and their lives from slipping away.

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The Janus Journals

Will probing the past, through her father’s secret journals, save her future?For recent college graduate, Alisa (Allie) Petrenko, the Cold War never ended, and events set in motion years ago have endangered this innocent young woman. When her father is murdered, he left her with a warning, an assassin on her trail, and his secret history contained in a set of journals. As Allie tries to elude the assassin and read the journals, she learns that the loving father who raised her was not the man he appeared to be, and the man she must now trust with her life is someone Allie must never trust with her heart.At strong safety, Grady Jamison could defend against opponents in the red zone, but he couldn’t stop the drunk driver who hit his car and killed his sister. Does Allie Petrenko’s call for help mean Grady has been given a second chance, a chance to do things right? Once again, he’s defending in the red zone. And he must not let the world-class assassin score, because the goal line marks the end of Allie Petrenko’s life.The Janus Journals, set in Virginia and near Lake Chelan in Washington State, is high-action romantic suspense at its best. The dual timeline will take you on an epic journey through the twilight years of the Cold War that reshaped one man’s destiny while creating deadly tentacles, reaching into the present, threatening an innocent young woman.

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Voice in the Wilderness (Against All Enemies Book 1)

As catastrophes drive the US into martial law, all eyes are on America, waiting to see what emerges. KC Banning, network specialist, discovers President Hannan’s tyrannical plans and is branded a terrorist, sending her fleeing the Beltway to find her childhood soulmate and protector, Brock Daniels. Brock, a writer and man of faith, gives CPR to a dying nation through his blog, which is read by military members still loyal to the Constitution. But starting a grassroots insurgency while reconciling KC’s and Brock’s broken relationship proves difficult. When Hannan sends Special Forces to kill Brock and KC, starting a war in the Central Oregon desert, reconciliation, like staying alive, might be impossible.


Set in Washington DC and near Crooked River Ranch in the Central Oregon desert, Voice in the Wilderness, Book 1 of the Against All Enemies Series, is a political thriller, with romance, about two people who must decide if they’re willing to sacrifice their lives to prevent the USA from becoming the Dystopian States of America.

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This adds a little more variety to our reading selections. It’s a good day.

New book suggestions June 29, 2023

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We have new suggestions today, they could lead to something good, maybe. This first one is from an author we’ve read and enjoyed twice.

Revealing the Truth (Agents of Espionage Book 1)

His suspect holds a secret, but can he uncover the truth before she steals his heart?

When Katherine Jenkins is rescued from the side of the road, half-frozen and left for dead, her only option is to stay silent about her identity or risk being shipped back to her ruthless guardian, who will kill to get his hands on her inheritance and the famous Jenkins Lipizzaner horses. But even under the pretense of amnesia, she cannot shake the memory of her sister and Katherine’s need to reach her before their guardian, or his marauding bandits, finish her off. Will she be safe in the earl’s manor, or will the assailant climbing through her window be the death of her?

British spy, Stephen Hartington’s assignment to uncover an underground horse-thieving ring brings him home to his family’s manor, and the last thing he expected was to be struck with a candlestick upon climbing through the guest chamber window. The manor’s feisty and intriguing new house guest throws Stephen’s best-laid plans into turmoil and raises questions about the timing of her appearance, the convenience of her memory loss, and her impeccable riding skills. Could he be housing the horse thief he’d been ordered to capture—or worse, falling in love with her?

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Well, that didn’t work out too well, in regard to more books. Nothing else surfacing while browsing piqued my interest. One is still good, though.

Free and bargain books June 25, 2023

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BookBub has a suggestion for us that sounds like it will be fun and interesting. This author is new to us so it will be an adventure to discover her writing style.

The Cake List: – feelgood, faith-filled & fun. (The List Books Book 1)

Do Something Brave. Do Something Selfless. Do Something Kind. Break a Never. Stop an Always. Figure out God.

“Some people write a bucket list, you know… things they want to do and tick off before they die. Honestly? Dying doesn’t seem half as scary as the big-O birthday that’s hunting me down. So I’ve made my own list. Things I want to do and tick off before I eat that birthday cake. So far, it’s not going too well.”

Fresh from a spectacular break-up and faced with a looming big-O birthday, Meg throws her cautious nature aside and signs up for dance classes. Little does she know that Ballroom will stretch more than just her muscles. Between the charming dance instructor and his secrets, her grumpy neighbour and a fish that can’t swim straight, Meg’s list seems doomed from the start.

~*~

Heart-felt and funny, Meg’s list-crossing quest takes her so far out of her comfort zone, she may never find her way back.

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Another author has crossed my path, one I’ve not read or been able to find a helpful bio to learn more. But, the book looks interesting and I want to give it a try.

Targeted Heart: Heart Island Mystery Romance Book 1

For Shannon Kelly, coming home to Heart Island’s Winslow Cove was bittersweet. After the uncle who had raised her suddenly passed, she inherited the cottage of her childhood. It gave her the opportunity to pick up the pieces of her life and start over on familiar ground.

Dr. Kevin Stivers is a life long resident of Heart Island and is currently the only doctor on the island. He is pleasantly surprised to learn the girl he had crushed on during his school years has moved back to the island. The big problem he has to overcome is a bias fueled by a family feud dating back decades. Fortunately, he likes a challenge.

After a break-in at Shannon’s apartment and a succession of questionable events, Shannon and Kevin join forces to determine why she is being targeted.

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And then we have an author that we see and enjoy often. We’ve been following this series and it’s nice to have the chance to read the next next one to be published.

Braving the Valley (Acts of Valor, Book 5): Christian Romantic Suspense 

A Mother’s Unyielding Love, A Navy SEAL’s Desperate Mission…

Grace Griffith won’t leave Venezuela without the boy she’s working to adopt, but with the Venezuelan Army hunting down Americans, she is lucky to escape alive—or so she’s told. Forced to leave four-year-old Miguel behind, Grace is devastated. She vows she will never forgive the Navy SEAL who wrested them apart. That is, until he comes knocking on her door asking for her help.

United by Faith, Driven by Love…

For Senior Chief Amos McLeod, orders are orders, and he did what he was told to do. Yet Amos knows the heartbreak of losing a child. But now, the tables are turned, and it’s Amos who needs rescuing. With her selfless spirit, Grace heals old wounds and makes Amos realize he’ll do anything to reunite her with her adoptive son, even face odds that would make the most fearless man flee in terror.

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It has been a surprise to find books today. The way things were looking I wasn’t expecting much. Surprises are great.

Another installment, Read and enjoyed June 21, 2023

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It’s that time again, time to clear out the growing pile of recently read books.

The first three were favorites although they weren’t the only ones. The other thing I have to say is that they were very different from one another. That was part of the beauty, that plus they were very good stories.

The next three were awesome too. Also very different from each other and much enjoyed.

I can’t say anything bad about the next three either.

My recollections of the next ones are not as clear, time has gone by rather quickly but what I do remember was good.

I see I’m left with another bunch of started but never finished books. It’s probably time to rush through them just to clear them out. I never feel like sharing the less than loved reads so I probably won’t be boring you with them.

This could be my next read, I’m trying it out to see if it grabs my attention and won’t let go.

Current read June 20, 2023

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I have to share. It’s that good. It’s one of the books we downloaded yesterday and I’m half way through it even though there were other things I’ve had to take care of today. I love it when I find a book I can’t bear to put down.

It’s well written and has a different take on the serial killer theme. That’s the best part in my estimation. This serial killer is crazy, I have to say. He leaves us all shaking our heads at his strange decisions.

Check it out.

Critical Threat (Extreme Measures Book #3): (An FBI Suspense Thriller and Action-Filled Crime Fiction) 

“Eason is a master of edge-of-your seat inspirational romantic thrillers.”–Booklist starred review

FBI Special Agent Grace Billingsley tracks serial killers, using her skills as a psychiatrist and behavioral analyst to get dangerous people off the street and safely behind bars. But prison psychiatrist Sam Monroe knows that just because a killer is incarcerated doesn’t mean they’re not a threat. His own father, Peter, is a serial killer–in prison but certainly not out of Sam’s life, as much as he wishes he was.

When bodies start showing up with Peter’s MO, Sam and Grace are both called in to consult. They’ve met before–and though Grace thought they’d made a real connection, Sam ghosted her. They’ll have to get past the awkwardness and mistrust to solve this case–especially because it’s about to get personal.

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It’s almost time for lights out, I’d better hurry and squeeze in a few more chapters before it’s gets too much later. I’m not good at quitting at a sensible time. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Davis Bunn this time June 19, 2023

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An interesting notice showed up in my inbox a little bit ago, for a long time favorite author. If I could restrict myself to five favorite authors in the whole wide world Davis Bunn would be one of them. He also writes as Thomas Locke using an urban fantasy style of writing. The featured book is written in this style even though the publisher chose to release it under Davis Bunn.

It has already been a full book day for us but I can’t pass up on this one.

Island of Time 

A mind-bending time heist novel that will appeal to fans of V.E. Schwab’s ‘Shades of Magic’ series.

“There was no murder . . . Because they never existed.”

The Geneva branch of Interpol – the international agency tasked with policing magic and the arcane arts – is where careers go to die. Action is rare as Switzerland banned magic seven hundred years ago. That’s how Agent Jackson Burnett likes it.

But then reports of an explosion lead Jackson to the home of businessman Bernard Bouchon. What’s there is unfathomable: The family and their possessions have vanished into ash.

Jackson’s enigmatic new partner Luca Tami, a blind Talent able to perform magic, suspects powerful supernatural forces are at play. The family weren’t killed . . . they’ve been erased from time. With all traces of the family disappearing, the case is hours away from being forgotten.

How can Jackson solve a crime no one remembers happening? He must find a way to remember. He must discover who is behind the spell and why. Dangerous magics are in use, and it’s clear those controlling them won’t let anyone stand in their way.

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Oh dear. Davis Bunn has another book on promotion. I was a Star Trek fan back in the day and this looks to be written in a similar style and since his sale prices never last long, so what am I to do

Star Trek made it big as a TV series, check it out if it is new to you. Trekkie fans are still out there all these years later. I’m a closet Trekkie, love the show but I’m not into the character costumes like die-hard fans.

Prime Directive

Lieutenant Amanda Bostick is ordered to investigate why scientists on a distant outpost on the planet of Lorian are being murdered with no alarm raised.

When a number of scientists are mysteriously killed on an insignificant scientific outpost on the planet of Loria and no alarm is raised, Commander Rickets of the Galactic Space Arm (GSA) is angered that no one can explain why. Rickets orders Lieutenant Amanda Bostick along with two armed Guardians, Sergeant Hamoud and Corporal Nasim, to investigate.

All three have faced setbacks in their careers and time is against them: the GSA is demanding answers within ten days. But they have no idea what to expect as there are few reports on the planet.

Why are the scientists being killed? Is there more to the mission than first appears? Are the sentient Lorians who inhabit the planet more of a threat than the GSA realize?

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I’m out of here quick before anything else shows up.

It has been a GOOD day.

Free and bargain books June 19, 2023

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It’s been awhile since we’ve had any new books and today we have one. How great is that? It’s a dark theme but the beginning looks interesting. I’d like to see how it all goes for the sisters as they uncover secrets.

Fresh Scars: A Tale of the Power of Dark Family Secrets

Time heals all wounds. . . or does it?

Asia Butler and her sister, Ivy Butler Morelli, have not spoken in fifteen years. The two endured brutal emotional abuse from their mother, Veronica, and want only to forget the past . . . and each other.

But the past comes calling when they each receive a letter from Veronica’s attorney promising much needed cash if they will fulfill her dying wish and consent to cleaning out their childhood home. Asia and Ivy reluctantly return to their hometown of Emerson, Florida, only to discover the house is a hoarder’s nightmare filled with strange mementos and clues hinting that they were not the only victims of Veronica’s sadistic nature. Can this new pain be the path to their healing? Will they be able to choose forgiveness over resentment?

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Browsing was a good idea today, another interesting book showed up. We’ve seen this author several times and now I’m looking forward to a third experience.

The Letter from Briarton Park (The Houses of Yorkshire Series Book 1)

In Regency England, one letter will alter a young woman’s fate when it summons her to Briarton Park—an ancient estate that holds the secrets of her past and the keys to her future.

Cassandra Hale grew up knowing little about her parentage, and she had made peace with the fact that she never would. But her world shifts when a shocking deathbed confession reveals a two-year-old letter from Mr. Clark, the master of Briarton Park, with hints to her family’s identity. Stung by betrayal, Cassandra travels to the village of Anston only to learn Mr. Clark has since passed away.

James Warrington is a widower and the new master of Briarton Park, where he lives with his two young daughters, his sister, and his mother-in-law. When Cassandra appears at his doorstep with a letter from the previous owner and then proceeds to assist his family in an unexpected way, he is honor bound to help uncover the answers she seeks.

The more time Cassandra spends in Anston, the more she begins to suspect not everything—or everyone—is as they seem. As details emerge, the danger surrounding her intensifies. Using wit and intuition, she must navigate the treacherous landscapes between truth and rumor and between loyalty and deception if she is to uncover the realities of her past and find the place her heart can finally call home.

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A Colleen Coble book showed up, one I’ve not seen before. This is a good day! We’ve read and enjoyed book 1 in this series, a few months ago.

Dark of Night (An Annie Pederson Novel Book 2)

The law is about justice—not grace. But perhaps ranger Annie Pederson can find a way to have both.

As if the last few months haven’t been hard enough—complete with threats on her life and the return of her first love, Jon—Annie has to figure out whether or not to believe a woman who claims to be her sister, Sarah, who was abducted twenty-four years ago at age five. Annie’s eight-year-old daughter, Kylie, has plenty of questions about what’s going on in her mother’s life—but there are some stories Annie doesn’t want uncovered.

As Annie grapples with how to heal the gulf between her and her would-be sister and make room in her daughter’s life for Jon, she’s professionally distracted by the case of yet another missing hiker in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A woman named Michelle Fraser has now been abducted, and though the woman’s estranged husband is at the top of their suspect list, Annie and her colleagues will need to dig deeper to determine whether these recent mysteries are truly as unrelated as they seem.

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Another awesome book that I can’t say no to. Lynette Eason is a favorite author we see often. This is book 3 in the series and we’ve read book 1. Book 2 could always show up later, it’s been known to happen.

Critical Threat (Extreme Measures Book #3): (An FBI Suspense Thriller and Action-Filled Crime Fiction)

FBI Special Agent Grace Billingsley tracks serial killers, using her skills as a psychiatrist and behavioral analyst to get dangerous people off the street and safely behind bars. But prison psychiatrist Sam Monroe knows that just because a killer is incarcerated doesn’t mean they’re not a threat. His own father, Peter, is a serial killer–in prison but certainly not out of Sam’s life, as much as he wishes he was.

When bodies start showing up with Peter’s MO, Sam and Grace are both called in to consult. They’ve met before–and though Grace thought they’d made a real connection, Sam ghosted her. They’ll have to get past the awkwardness and mistrust to solve this case–especially because it’s about to get personal.

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I think I’d better stop looking.