My Corpse Has a Heartbeat by Nick Roberts

 

My Corpse Has a Heartbeat by Nick Roberts - 198 pages

Turner Blake loves his wife and children just as much as he enjoys killing people. Balancing date nights and birthday parties with chainsaw chases and shooting sprees is no easy task, but he thinks he's found the perfect system.

When mysterious notes threaten to expose him, he must leash his addiction or risk losing those closest to him. Turner soon realizes old habits die hard as his sanity and his family's safety spiral out of control.

MY CORPSE HAS A HEARTBEAT puts you in the mind of a killer at a crossroad. Deeply disturbing and darkly funny, this unfiltered narrative is as morally fractured as the man telling it and the society that continues to listen.

I really, really liked this book.  I enjoy the struggle between loving family man and serial killer and reading his decent into madness trying to balance both.  Highly recommend for those that like horror.

Lights! Camera! Frendo! (Clown in a Cornfield #4) by Adam Cesare

 

Lights! Camera! Frendo!  (Clown in a Cornfield #4) by Adam Cesare - 400 pages

Let the killing continue in Lights! Camera! Frendo! It’s the fourth installment of Adam Cesare’s Bram Stoker Award-winning series, and this time Frendo goes Hollywood – with all the blood, guts, and mayhem you’d expect from the series that spawned the blockbuster motion picture.

Sabrina Alvarez is pretty much a nobody—until she lands the starring role in the big budget film based on the Kettle Springs Massacre. Sabrina knows she should be on top of the world. She’s going to be THE Quinn Maybrook, Final Girl of Final Girls, national hero and certified badass. But as soon as Sabrina gets to Kettle Springs, she just can’t quite shake the feeling that something’s off. A spate of deaths, an out-of-control director, a town decimated by loss and divided by anger, and a movie designed to glorify it all. Something bad is brewing, and this time, it’s all on film.

A meditation on the villains inside us all, it’s the latest installment of Adam Cesare’s Bram Stoker Award-winning series, Clown in a Cornfield.

This was better than the third one and was alright.  I didn't hate it but didn't love it.  I liked the blending of old characters with new.  

Dive Bar at the End of the Road by Kelley Armstrong

 

Dive Bar at the End of the Road by Kelley Armstrong - 288 pages

Final Destination meets The Cabin at the End of the World in this supernatural horror from New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong, in which a series of car accidents traps a group of strangers at a dive bar.

A forested road at night, slick from the pounding rain and eerily illuminated by flashes of lightning. Just before midnight, a car swerves to avoid something—or someone—mysteriously standing in the road, only to slam into a fallen tree instead. In the pitch black, four more cars follow in a pileup no one can seem avoid.

Stumbling out of the wreckage, soaked from the rain and nursing various injuries, five strangers find themselves in a backwoods dive bar, waiting for daybreak and hoping for cell service. But as tensions rise and the storm rages on outside, the occupants of the dive bar start to notice that not everything is as it seems. Time is moving differently, and they quickly learn that going outside—whether to assist another accident victim or to hike for help—is a very bad idea.

There’s something in the woods, something that isn't natural. Could the figure in the road have been a warning? Or something more sinister? None of this is normal, and they'll need to work together to figure out what’s happening if they have any hope of surviving through the night.

OMG this was so good!  It was entertaining from beginning to end.  Loved it and will seek out more books by this author.  I could easily see this being made into a movie.

Anathema by Nick Roberts

 

Anathema by Nick Roberts - 226 pages

Bryan and Ellie Stockton hope they left behind their demons when they move to their idyllic new home in southern West Virginia. Above all, they want a fresh start for their young son, Derrick, who witnessed the tumultuous first years of their marriage – years that were rife with substance abuse, rage, and resentment. Their bright hope for the future is darkened when a child disappears from their neighborhood. The couple becomes suspicious of a reclusive resident with a degenerative brain disorder. Strange events begin to happen in their house just as Derrick tells them about a new friend who visits him at night. Their son may be acting out from the trauma he endured, or he could be the obsession of something much more sinister.

This was just ok, not as good as others by this author.  It seemed to drag a bit and wasn't as suspenseful as I'd hoped.

The Key to a Killer (Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries #3) by Olivia Blacke

 

The Key to a Killer (Ruby and Cordelia Mysteries #3) by Olivia Blacke - 368 pages

When Ruby Young discovered that her Boston apartment was haunted, she did what any reasonable person would befriend the ghost. Their relationship overcame a shaky start—Cordelia Graves never wanted a roommate in life, she certainly didn’t want one in death. After working together to solve a few murders, the two are close friends, but there’s a lingering question neither of them have been able to what led to Cordelia’s death?

Lately things have been adding up that suggest foul play. And when Cordelia’s memories of that day start to come back, the roommates can’t ignore it Cordelia was murdered. Ruby and Cordelia are going to have to piece together what Cordelia’s final days looked like—otherwise a killer could go free.

I really enjoyed this cozy mystery.  The main characters are likeable and I'm glad the author has them answer questions regarding Cordelia's death in this one.  

When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson

When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson

264 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Omar and his little brother, Hassan, arrived in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya, seven years ago. Their father was killed the day they left home, and they haven't seen their mother since they joined their neighbors who were fleeing to Dadaab. Now Omar is eleven and Hassan is nine, and Omar has quit school to look after his brother, who has an intellectual disability.

When Omar is given the opportunity to return to school and carve out a future for himself and Hassan, he feels torn. He loves school and could have the opportunity to earn a coveted scholarship to a North American university--and with it a visa for himself and Hassan. But is it worth the risk and heartache of leaving his vulnerable brother for hours each day?

Lights Out: A Movement to Help Migrating Birds

Lights Out: A Movement to Help Migrating Birds - 48 pages

Jessica Stremer, Bonnie Pang (Illustrator)

Summary (From Goodreads)

Based on the real-life Lights Out movement, this inspirational picture book shows how even the smallest of actions, like flipping a switch, can make a big difference in helping migrating birds.

When the seasons change and it’s time for a flock of sparrows to move on, a map made of stars guides their way. But when they reach the city, light pollution masks the map and confuses the birds. One sparrow becomes separated from the flock. A girl rescues the lost sparrow and decides to take action so this doesn’t happen again.

She rallies a group of friends, and together they encourage people all over the city to help the sparrows by turning off their lights at night. But will the city be ready by the time the flock return?

Review

A nice story (rooted in real life, of course!) with a good amount of helpful information for anyone looking to learn more and take action.  The additional information is explained in a manner accessible to younger readers, so I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in nature, the environment, and conservation!