Tag Archives: mystery

Book Title:
Dangerous Lies
Book Author:
Becca Fitzpatrick
Publishing Date:
November 10th, 2015
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
November 15th, 2015

Synopsis

A teen is forced to make a fresh start after witnessing a violent crime—but love and danger find her anyway in this novel from Becca Fitzpatrick, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush saga.

Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life.

After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer.

But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows.

As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks…

My Review

I read this book a while back, and I’m not really sure why it took  me so long to write my review for it.  It was an interesting thriller (and we all know I love YA thrillers) – well written … Continue reading

4 stars
4 Comments
Book Title:
The Mystery of Hollow Places
Book Author:
Rebecca Podos
Publishing Date:
January 26th, 2016
Publisher:
Balzer + Bray
Date Read:
January 26th, 2016

Synopsis

All Imogene Scott knows of her mother is the bedtime story her father told her as a child. It's the story of how her parents met: he, a forensic pathologist, she, a mysterious woman who came to identify a body. A woman who left Imogene and her father when she was a baby, a woman who was always possessed by a powerful loneliness, a woman who many referred to as troubled waters.

When Imogene is seventeen, her father, now a famous author of medical mysteries, strikes out in the middle of the night and doesn't come back. Neither Imogene's stepmother nor the police know where he could've gone, but Imogene is convinced he's looking for her mother. She decides to put to use the skills she's gleaned from a lifetime of her father's books to track down a woman she's never known, in order to find him and, perhaps, the answer to the question she's carried with her for her entire life.

Rebecca Podos' debut is a powerful, affecting story of the pieces of ourselves that remain mysteries even to us - the desperate search through empty spaces for something to hold on to.

My Review

Rebecca Podos’ debut novel, The Mystery of Hollow Places, is an intriguing mystery about a girl who sets off to find both her parents – the mother who abandoned her, and the father who seems to have abandoned himself. Imogene’s … Continue reading

3.5 stars
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Book Title:
The Conspiracy of Us
Book Author:
Maggie Hall
Book Series:
The Conspiracy of Us, #1
Publishing Date:
January 13th, 2015
Publisher:
Speak (Penguin)
Date Read:
January 26th, 2016

Synopsis

A fast-paced international escapade, laced with adrenaline, glamour, and romance--perfect for fans of Kiera Cass and Ally Carter

Avery West's newfound family can shut down Prada when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war. Part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle, they believe Avery is the key to an ancient prophecy. Some want to use her as a pawn. Some want her dead.

To unravel the mystery putting her life in danger, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the monuments of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul with two boys who work for the Circle—beautiful, volatile Stellan and mysterious, magnetic Jack. But as the clues expose a stunning conspiracy that might plunge the world into World War 3, she discovers that both boys are hiding secrets of their own. Now she will have to choose not only between freedom and family--but between the boy who might help her save the world, and the one she's falling in love with.

My Review

I might be a little behind here, but wow is this book amazing.  I know it came out over a year ago now, and I’ve had it on my to be read list since it came out, and I finally … Continue reading

4.5 stars
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Book Title:
Half in Love with Death
Book Author:
Emily Ross
Publishing Date:
December 16th, 2015
Publisher:
Merit Press
Date Read:
November 14h, 2015

Synopsis

It's the era of peace and love in the 1960s, but nothing is peaceful in Caroline's life. Since her beautiful older sister disappeared, fifteen-year-old Caroline might as well have disappeared too. She's invisible to her parents, who can't stop blaming each other. The police keep following up on leads even Caroline knows are foolish. The only one who seems to care about her is Tony, her sister's older boyfriend, who soothes Caroline's desperate heart every time he turns his magical blue eyes on her.

Tony is convinced that the answer to Jess's disappearance is in California, the land of endless summer, among the runaways and flower children. Come with me, Tony says to Caroline, and we'll find her together. Tony is so loving, and all he cares about is bringing Jess home. And so Caroline follows, and closes a door behind her that may never open again.

Inspired by the disturbing case of Charles Schmid, ‘the Pied Piper of Tucson’, Half in Love with Death is a heartfelt thriller that never lets up.

My Review

Based in the 1960’s, Emily Ross’s novel Half in Love with Death deals with one family’s nightmare of having their daughter and sister go missing.  Jess, the older sister of Caroline, spends her nights out with her friends and boyfriend, … Continue reading

3.5 stars
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Book Title:
Dead Ringer
Book Author:
Jessie Rosen
Publishing Date:
November 11th, 2015
Publisher:
Full Fathom Five Digital
Date Read:
November 12th, 2015

Synopsis

From the moment Laura Rivers steps foot into Englewood High, she notices the stares—and they aren’t the typical once-overs every pretty new girl endures. The students seem confused and…spooked. Whispers echoing through the halls confirm that something is seriously off. “That new girl looks just like her,” they say.

It turns out Laura has a doppelgänger, and it isn't just anyone—it's Sarah Castro-Tanner, the girl who killed herself by jumping into the Navasink River one year ago.

Laura is determined not to let the gossip ruin her chances of making a fresh start. Thanks to her charming personality and California tan, she catches the eye of Englewood’s undisputed golden boy, Charlie Sanders, and it’s only a matter of time before they make their relationship official.

But something is making Charlie and his friends paranoid—and Laura soon discovers it has to do with Sarah Castro-Tanner.

What really happened to Sarah? Why is Charlie unraveling? And how does Laura Rivers fit into it all?

After all, she’s the dead ringer for a dead girl.

My Review

Finding a fantastic thriller tends to be a challenge, since so many of them tend to fall short of their promise to, well, actually be thrilling.  Dead Ringer by Jessie Rosen is a book that will captivate you, and completely … Continue reading

4.5 stars
3 Comments
Book Title:
Kiss Kill Love Him Still
Book Author:
Jamie Blair and Dawn Rae Miller
Publishing Date:
November 10th, 2015
Date Read:
November 9th, 2015

Synopsis

Jackson Landis kept secrets. It's how he got girls into bed, the grades he wanted, and a reputation for being the life of the party.

But now he's dead, and no one knows how or why. Especially not the four girls whose secrets he protected. Secrets so scandalous they could cause each girl to lose something valuable. Secrets so dark, someone may have killed for them.

The four girls - a campus drug dealer, an overweight bookworm, a closeted lesbian, and a spoiled princess have one thing in common – they’re terrified the things Jackson knew may not have died with him. As Reggie, Haddie, Val, and Livie try to piece together her own role in Jackson’s death, each girl realizes Jackson had some not-so-pretty skeletons of his own.

Which makes a girl wonder, who really wanted Jackson Landis dead?

My Review

Four girls are all in love with one guy – Jackson Landis.  Four girls, who are completely different from each other – Val (who is an alcoholic and prefers women to men, including her boyfriend, Paul), Livie (Jackson’s diva of … Continue reading

4 stars
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Book Title:
Darkest Dawn
Book Author:
Katlyn Duncan
Book Series:
Willows Lake, #1
Publishing Date:
September 17th, 2015
Publisher:
HarperCollins
Date Read:
October 16th, 2015

Synopsis

One desperate journey for the truth

Returning to Willows Lake eleven years after her mother’s tragic death, Sloane Baker knows she will finally get the answers she needs! She always suspected that there was something more sinister at the heart of the accident that claimed her mother’s life, but a cryptic note could be the key to her past…

Two lives changed forever

The small town has always seemed safe to Brianna Taylor – until a mysterious new girl arrives who looks exactly like Bri! Now everything Bri knew has been thrown into question and Sloane’s arrival has changed the world of Willows Lake forever.

Strange things are happening in Willows Lake. But when they turn deadly, Bri and Sloane must find a way to save each other or risk losing everything they hold dear…

My Review

Darkest Dawn by Katlyn Duncan is an interesting book with a plot that’s definitely gripping.  It was a great page-turner that I didn’t want to put down until I had finished it! The story starts off with Sloane receiving a … Continue reading

3.5 stars
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Book Title:
If You're Lucky
Book Author:
Yvonne Prinz
Publishing Date:
October 20th, 2015
Publisher:
Algonquin Young Readers
Date Read:
October 13th, 2015

Synopsis

Is Georgia’s mind playing tricks on her, or is the entire town walking into the arms of a killer who has everyone but her fooled?

When seventeen-year-old Georgia’s brother drowns while surfing halfway around the world in Australia, she refuses to believe Lucky’s death was just bad luck. Lucky was smart. He wouldn’t have surfed in waters more dangerous than he could handle. Then a stranger named Fin arrives in False Bay, claiming to have been Lucky’s best friend. Soon Fin is working for Lucky’s father, charming Lucky’s mother, dating his girlfriend. Georgia begins to wonder: did Fin murder Lucky in order to take over his whole life?

Determined to clear the fog from her mind in order to uncover the truth about Lucky’s death, Georgia secretly stops taking the medication that keeps away the voices in her head. Georgia is certain she’s getting closer and closer to the truth about Fin, but as she does, her mental state becomes more and more precarious, and no one seems to trust what she’s saying.

As the chilling narrative unfolds, the reader must decide whether Georgia’s descent into madness is causing her to see things that don’t exist–or to see a deadly truth that no one else can.

My Review

Georgia and her family have suffered a horrible loss – the death of Georgia’s older brother, Lucky.  Lucky drowned in a surfing accident in Australia, and Georgia is having a difficult time understanding how, because Lucky is an incredible swimmer.  … Continue reading

4 stars
6 Comments
Book Title:
Charlie, Presumed Dead
Book Author:
Anne Heltzel
Publishing Date:
June 2, 2015
Publisher:
HMH Books for Young Readers
Date Read:
June 8, 2015

Synopsis

In this thrilling tale of suspense and deception, two girls are shocked to discover they've both been dating the same boy when they show up at his funeral. What else don't they know about Charlie Price? As they travel from Paris, to London, to Mumbai to Bangkok, the girls try to figure out Charlie's secrets but soon discover they are harboring secrets of their own. This page-turning psychological mystery will engulf teen fans of Gillian Flynn and Gossip Girl. In Paris, family and friends gather to mourn the tragic passing of Charlie Price—young, handsome, charming, a world-traveler—who is presumed dead after an explosion. Authorities find only a bloodied jacket, ID’d as Charlie’s. At the funeral, two teens who are perfect strangers, Lena Whitney and Aubrey Boroughs, make another shocking discovery: they have both been dating Charlie, both think Charlie loved them and them alone, and there is a lot they didn’t know about their boyfriend. Over the next week, a mind-bending trip unfolds: first in London—then in Mumbai, Kerala, and Bangkok, the girls go in search of Charlie. Is he still alive? What did their love for him even mean? The truth is out there, but soon it becomes clear that the girls are harboring secrets of their own. No one knows whom to trust in this thrilling tale of suspense and deception.

My Review

Thrilling?  No.  Suspense?  Ehh… I don’t even know what to call this, aside from kind of boring and lackluster. Honestly…it felt like it took me forever to finish this book.  That’s such a shame because I was so looking forward … Continue reading

2 stars
4 Comments