Endgame

In Dee Davis's, Endgame, the first instalment in the Last Chance romantic suspense series, you'll be thrown and blown away in this novel. When Madison's godfather Cullen Pulaski asked her to join his Last Chance team, this tenacious FBI profiler seeks him out in New York to find out about the problem. When she joins his joint task force team with her friend Harrison, things aren't what it seems to be. And then she met Gabriel Rourke, a man who's intrigued by Madison at first, a man who's kept personal stuff of his own to his chest. It all started to find a thread between the mysterious deaths of members of the consortium who had hoped to have this accord with the Chinese trade go through. Straight from the president himself, Cullen would pull no punches to find out who's taken out the board members. As they worked with the previous deaths, new ones had come along the horizon for them to figure it out. Besides all this, they had to deal with a potential mole in the midst as they're thrown together by enemy fire and potential red herrings along the way.  While they grab hold with the feelings for each other, they come closer truth of who's behind the mess, when it hit too close to home for Madison. In dawning realization, she discovers the true culprit and his ambitious MO behind it with a twisted closing as she fought for her life and rebounded with true love.

This was a fantastic introduction to the crazy world of high-stakes politics and power had taken center stage in this romantic suspense. I instantly cared for Madison and for Cullen, too, and had grown to like Gabriel as well. He's certainly a man of mystery and had come to care for her. I liked the dual locations of Quantico and New York City in every action-packed scene from start to finish.  This would leave you breathless and have you guessing from start to finish with romance, non-stop action, drama and plenty of intrigue.

Will you be the one to stop the endgame today?

The Searcher

In Christopher Morgan Jones's thriller, The Searcher, this novel told a tale of international espionage and great adventure set in Eastern Europe.  For Isaac Hammer, he was a lone Englishmen looking for his friend and business partner, Benedict "Ben" Webster. Reported missing from his wife, he goes searching for him in war-torn Georgia. From there, when he first arrived, it wasn't easy, since he caught up into a riot and a political revolt against the government. He was later thrown around with a missing passport at the airport, and then he met Koba his taxi driver. Little did he know, his search for truth and justice had let to what happened previously in London for their newspaper that reported a bombing and killed their friend. He had met some interesting people along the way that would do anything to stop him from finding the answers he longed to seek and find. And as it led him across the border to Russia in the end, he became suspicious of the company he kept and those who he should've left behind along the way with a shocking and twisted ending.


This was a terrific spy thriller that deals with current day events in war-torn Georgia and a bit of Russia. I did care for Hammer and how he had many stops to find his friend Ben in Georgia, which wasn't easy and turbulent like a plane flight. We do get to know about him better and his past and the people he had met along the way--some good and the rest so bad. I liked the dual locations of Georgia and a bit of Russia with rustic and compelling descriptions and visual scenic settings. This would make you want to bite your nails, hold your breath, gasp, and hang onto your seat from start to finish.

Will you follow the journey of the Searcher today?

Hung Out to Die

In Sharon Short's Hung Out to Die, the 4th instalment in the Toadfern/Stain-Busting Cozy Mystery series, this cozy caper would have you enthralled and at the edge of your seat. It's Thanksgiving at Mamaw Toadfern's home in Paradise, Ohio, when Josie talked to her grandmother about her family, and learned how she was adopted by her Aunt Clara and her Uncle Horace, when her parents skipped town. During this family holiday vacation, she gets an unexpected surprise from her loving parents, twenty years later. And they have a  surprise for her. She had learned a lot of family secrets and heated arguments at dinner, when old animosity had reared its ugly head. But during a walk with her friend Rachel Burkette, they discovered that someone had killed her Uncle Fenwick and had left him to die on a clothesline. With her father in jail as a suspect, it was up to Josie to learn new truths about the past and try to bond with her mother, while she would figure out who would really do such a cruel thing. And when she had gotten closer to suspecting a culprit, it had put her and her parents in danger as she later saved their lives in the end.

This was another great read from Sharon Short. We do get a closer look to learn more about Josie and her dysfunctional family during the holidays. I cared about her and was upset to hear about a pending heartbreak or two with her and Owen. I did care about her folks and was happy for them to give her a second chance, however brief, before they left town again in the end. Maybe it was for the best. I do love the quaint town of Paradise and all of its lovely descriptive locations and settings. This would make you shake you head a few times, grimace and groan, and gasp from start to finish.

Will you check out Hung Out to Die today?

The Falls

In Karen Harper's the Falls, nothing what it seems in a small town in Oregon. When Claire Malvern couldn't find her husband Keith one night, she called the Portfalls PD to help search for him. When it had turned out he had fallen from the Bloodroot "Suicide"  Bridge, they believed he had fallen to his death. But for Claire, she didn't believe it happened that way. In order to proof her claim that it was nothing but that, she would need Sheriff Nick Braden's help. Then things got tumuleous for Claire, when someone's been stalking her, sending her threats, and driving her crazy by hearing the sounds of the falls in the background. When she needed her friend's the most, she learned some hidden truths about them, when it concerned Keith. The closer she had gotten to push to the truth, the more dangerous things had gotten between them, when it brought Nick and Claire together, exploring feelings for each other. And in the end, she discovered how twisted and far-reaching people would go to make ends meet with her own life.

This was a compelling romantic suspense from start to finish. I cared about Claire and how she searched for answers on Keith's death. I also found Nick amusing and compassionate, though he had lost his wife to cancer, he had understood her pain. I liked the backdrop of Portfalls and Seattle Oregon, which was very picturesque and visual in location and settings for the scenery. This would make you jaw drop, shake your head, gasp and sigh in every page with non-stop drama, action, tons of heated romance, and suspense.

Will you be tempted to listen to the Falls today?

Organize Your Corpses

In Mary Jane Maffini's Organize Your  Corpses, the first installment in the Charlotte Adams cozy mystery series, this caper had plenty of surprises in store with many twisted turns. For Charlotte Adams, she's a professional organizer who returned to her hometown of Woodbridge, New York. Her first client was her former teacher, Helen Henley, who was tough as nails on her former students. She requested her professional services to look for important paperwork. And when she called for help late one night, Charlotte told her she was busy. Later she found out, she was clobbered by a beam in her own house. And that made Charlotte a number one suspect, even from her best friend Pepper Monahan, who was a Woodbridge homicide detective who has in it for her. At the funeral for Miss Henley, she ran into suspicious people as one of them had caught her eye. She discovered Helen's cousin errant behavior and later learned about the "tragedies" that had befallen her family. As she had gotten closer to the truth, she learned about the Henley family and how far someone evil who would go for the sake of money and revenge. After a few attempts in her life, she thought she had figured it out to piece together this warped jigsaw puzzle, when she unmasked someone who was so treacherous and duplicitous right before her own eyes, she took matters in her own hands to save her own life.

This was a terrific cozy mystery debut from Mary Jane Maffini. This had all the right elements of a great cozy mystery from start to finish. I really cared for Charlotte and her friends Jack and Sally and even Margaret. I didn't like Pepper so much or Miss Helen Henley. I felt bad and horrified for her own cousins and how they came to an untimely end. I thought Dominic was a good catch, but I shook my head when he was part of a wicked charade. I liked the backdrop of Woodbridge in New York and while it had a great scenic view of the location and settings. This would make you shake your head and moan and groan, gasp and drop your jaw with non-stop action, drama, suspense and mystery. This also had great organizing tips for you.

Will you be willing to organizing your corpses today?

Murder of a Sweet Old Lady

In Denise Swanson's Murder of a Sweet Old Lady, the second installment in the Scumble River Cozy Mystery series, this cozy mystery has a lot of twists and turns on every page. For Skye Dennison, she had dealt with some hard blows as the school psychologist, when angry parents don't like the results she gave them. Some had threatened her, when she had been going through a hard time. When she visited her grandmother to work on their family history, she discovered that her grandmother was died and her housekeeper was missing. After she called Simon Reid, the local coroner, everyone turned their heads and blaming her for not calling them first instead of Simon. They believed she died from natural causes, when Skye had thought differently. As she snooped around to become suspicious of her relatives and their angry glares, the hits kept on coming, especially when her Aunt Minnie had one of her spells and needed to be hospitalized. Though she wouldn't back down for finding answers to the truth, she discovered a link in a couple of family photos. To make matter worse, things are tense between her and Simon as Sheriff Wally Boyd had feelings for her after his wife had split up with him. When she got closer to the truth to someone who wanted to harm her own grandmother in her family, she couldn't believe who had done it and why with a shocking ending.

This was another enjoyable cozy mystery in the Scumble River cozy mystery series. I continued to enjoy Skye and her family and felt heartache for the loss in her family. I also felt the same when she ended up in a twisted love triangle for a short while. I wish people would give Skye a break at work and at home. I'm so glad she hooked up with Trixie, her close friend from her youth. I adored the small town of Scumble River and its vivid locations and scenic settings to paint a good picture of the scene. This would hook you on the first pages and grimace and groan throughout the cozy. It would make your heart pang and twist your heart strings, too. This had non-stop action, drama, intrigue and mystery from start to finish.

Will you be on the case to solve the murder of the sweet old family?

For Whom the Bread Rolls

In Sarah Fox's For Whom the Bread Rolls, the first installment in the Pancake House Culinary cozy mystery series, you'll be enchanted in this tale and devour the recipes in the end. For Marley McKinney, the owner of the Flip Side restaurant that serves breakfast meals, she had a lot to deal with, ever since she inherited the restaurant from her late cousin Jimmy. When it was just an ordinary, she had to contend with Ida Wrinkler, a pain in her butt, who's been harassing her with prank calls and what not, to ruin business for her. When she wanted to talk to her, after she had stolen her new lamp shade from her own home, she turned up dead. And that's when she became into a pickle of her own, when she learns about Ida's suspicious neighbors, the blackmail scheme, and the illegal dumping on the river. When she became curious on this, she had been threatened and came close of losing her life. In the end, she couldn't believe who had done it and why, when she had fought for the truth.

This was a great new culinary cozy to read and to enjoy! I really cared about Marley and her friends and how perfect she was made with Brett, a former flame from her youth. I adored Flapjack the cat and Bentley the dog as perfect canine and feline characters. I loved the idyllic location of Wildwood Cave and found it picturesque with the river for the scenic settings. This would make you head spin and shake your head a couple of times. You would also sigh, groan and gasp, and hold onto your hat from page to page with non-stop action, suspense, a hint of romance, and plenty of drama.

Will you be there to check out For Whom the Bread Rolls today?

Wild Justice

In Philip Margolin's Wild Justice, the first installment in the Amanda Jaffe legal thriller series, this thriller will give you chills and make you shudder. When Amanda Jaffe joined her father's law firm as an associate, he helped him take the case against Vincent Cardoni. A prominent doctor who's been arrested for series crimes, who had run into some trouble with the law and with the mafia. He claims he's innocent and that Justine Castle, his soon-to-be ex-wife had framed him. During his trial, they hit a snafu with Detective Vasquez's testimony who had a hard-on Castle and to nail him for the crimes. From there, they motioned to suppress the evidence against him. That's when he disappeared and his hand is missing. Fast-forward to four years later, Amanda's moved up in his father's law firm, and a new farmhouse became the killing ground for another set of serial murders. And Justine Castle calls Amanda and asks her for her help, when she believes she didn't do it and she was framed from Cardoni. During this case, she began to have a heated relationship with Toni Fiori, someone she used to date back in high school. While the suspicion was on Castle, she hired Vasquez as a PI to protect her and with help with the case. Cardoni's discovered in a new guise to watch Justine; but when Vasquez's attacked and then Justine's later found dead, she discovered who's the culprit, someone who's real close to her with newfound truth, she fights for her life when the danger came near her in a shocking ending.


This was a terrific legal thriller debut in a new series from Philip Margolin. I read another book in that series a few years ago as the title had slipped through my mind. I cared for Amanda and Frank's relationship as father and daughter and also as colleagues in the same law firm. Although the murders grossed me out, I was confused on who really had done it in the end. I thought Castle and Cardoni deserved each other with their bitter rivalry, until Castle had bit the dust in the end. I wasn't sure what to say or think about Tony Fiori. I would let his actions speak for himself in this story. I loved the Portland locations for the backdrop and the scenic settings through the novel. This would make you shake your head, groan, do a double-take, and make your head spin from start to finish with non-stop action, drama, a hint of romance, and a lot of suspense.

Will you be prepared to deal with wild justice today?