Never Lie by Freida McFadden

 Never Lie by Freida McFadden

296 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Newlyweds Tricia and Ethan are searching for the house of their dreams.
But when they visit the remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who vanished without a trace four years earlier, a violent winter storm traps them at the estate… with no chance of escape until the blizzard comes to an end.
In search of a book to keep her entertained until the snow abates, Tricia happens upon a secret room. One that contains audio transcripts from every single patient Dr. Hale has ever interviewed. As Tricia listens to the cassette tapes, she learns about the terrifying chain of events leading up to Dr. Hale’s mysterious disappearance.
Tricia plays the tapes one by one, late into the night. With each one, another shocking piece of the puzzle falls into place, and Dr. Adrienne Hale’s web of lies slowly unravels.
And then Tricia reaches the final cassette.
The one that reveals the entire horrifying truth.

Opinion: This was my first book by McFadden. I liked the two different narratives by Tricia and Dr. Hale, as well as the elements of transcripts.  It never got boring. Towards the end, it was hard to put the book down. I didn't like the 'horrifying truth' twist, but it didn't stop me from putting it away either. I was very glad that there were no horror elements in there - since the main character is pretty sure someone is in the house, I was afraid there's gonna be a dramatic, brutal scenario or else.

Takedown by Brad Thor

 (Scot Harvath #5)

416 pages

"In the aftermath of a Fourth of July terrorist bombing that has destroyed all of the bridges and tunnels leading out of Manhattan, an elite cadre of highly trained Middle Eastern soldiers performs a methodical search to locate a man who holds a powerful secret of key importance to both sides. 125,000 first printing." --provided by the publisher

A good thriller with some elements I didn't care for. Three out of five stars for me.

Who Let the Dog Out? by David Rosenfelt

 (Andy Carpenter #13)

324 pages / 6 hrs, 42 mins

"A lawyer by day-and then only when he's forced to take on new cases-Andy Carpenter's true passion is the Tara Foundation, the dog rescue organization he runs with his friend Willie Miller. So it's frightening when Willie calls him to say the alarm has gone off at the foundation building, and there's clearly been a break-in. It turns out that a recently rescued dog, nicknamed Cheyenne since her arrival at the foundation, has been stolen. Andy and Willie track the missing dog to a house in downtown Paterson, New Jersey and sure enough, they find the dog...standing right next to a dead body. The man had been gruesomely murdered mere minutes before Andy and Willie arrived...

"Andy takes Cheyenne safely back to the foundation building, and that should be the end of his involvement, but Andy's curiosity-and his desire to keep the dog from further harm-won't let him stop there. The cops have just arrested a man named Tommy Infante for the murder, but as Andy looks into the circumstances surrounding the break-in and the dog theft, he starts to wonder if Infante might actually be innocent. And when Andy takes Infante on as a client and starts searching in earnest for evidence that will exonerate him, what Andy starts to discover terrifies him..."  --from the publisher

Another good story with wry humor, with a mention of St. Louis Cardinal Ozzie Smith as the best shortstop of all time. That was a pleasant surprise to hear from an author who is from New Jersey. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The Rook by Steven James

 (The Patrick Bowers Files #2)

496 pages / 14 hrs, 45 mins

"An arsonist has struck a top-secret research facility at a key US naval base. But it's not just a random terrorist attack. These people were after something specific. When Special Agent Patrick Bowers is called in to investigate, he is drawn into a deadly web of intrigue and deception. With his own criminology research being turned against him and one of the world's most deadly devices missing, Bowers is caught up in a race against time to stop an international assassin before it's too late."  --from the publisher

I liked this one a little better than the first. It's a solid story with decent character development. Three out of five stars from me.

Alone by Lisa Gardner

(Detective D.D. Warren #1)
 336 pages / 10 hrs, 10 mins

"Alone . . . Massachusetts State Trooper Bobby Dodge watches a tense hostage standoff unfold through the scope of his sniper rifle. Just across the street, in wealthy Back Bay, Boston, an armed man has barricaded himself with his wife and child. The man’s finger tightens on the trigger and Dodge has only a split second to react . . . and forever pay the consequences.

"Alone . . . that’s where the nightmare began for cool, beautiful, and dangerously sexy Catherine Rose Gagnon. Twenty-five years ago, she was buried underground during a month-long nightmare of abduction and abuse. Now her husband has just been killed. Her father-in-law, the powerful Judge Gagnon, blames Catherine for his son’s death . . . and for the series of unexplained illnesses that have sent her own young son repeatedly to the hospital.

"Alone . . . a madman survived solitary confinement in a maximum security prison where he’d done hard time for the most sadistic of crimes. Now he walks the streets a free man, invisible, anonymous . . . and filled with an unquenchable rage for vengeance. What brings them together is a moment of violence—but what connects them is a passion far deeper and much more dangerous. For a killer is loose who’s woven such an intricate web of evil that no one is above suspicion, no one is beyond harm, and no one will see death coming until it has them cornered, helpless, and alone."  --from the publisher

If you love a psychological thriller with layers of deception, then this is for you. I found it very well written and intriguing. My only complaint is that the coarse language seemed a bit gratuitous, to me. I give it four out of five stars.

Life Flight by Lynette Eason

 (Extreme Measures #1)

336 pages / 9 hrs, 40 mins

"EMS helicopter pilot Penny Carlton is used to high stress situations, but being forced to land on a mountain in a raging storm with a critical patient--and a serial killer on the loose--tests her skills and her nerve to the limit. She survives with FBI Special Agent Holt Satterfield's help. But she's not out of the woods yet.

"In the ensuing days, Penny finds herself under attack. And when news reaches Holt that he may not have gotten his man after all, it will take all he and Penny have to catch a killer--before he catches one of them."  --from the publisher

This was a pretty well written story, it held my interest, and I was entertained by it. I have a question, though. If someone is withholding information about the location of a person who was kidnapped until he receives something in return, isn't that an obstruction of justice? I give it three stars out of five.

The Night Window by Dean Koontz

 (Jane Hawk #5)

432 pages / 15 hrs, 2 mins

"Groundbreaking, wholly involving, eerily prescient and terrifyingly topical, Dean Koontz's Jane Hawk series sets a new standard for contemporary thrillers. Since her sensational debut in The Silent Corner, readers have been riveted by Jane Hawk's resolute quest to take down the influential architects of an accelerating operation to control every level of society via an army of mind-altered citizens. At first, only Jane stood against the "Arcadian" conspirators, but slowly others have emerged to stand with her, even as there are troubling signs that the "adjusted" people are beginning to spin viciously out of control. Now, in the thrilling, climactic showdown that will decide America's future, Jane will require all her resources--and more--as she confronts those at the malevolent, impregnable center of power."  --from the publisher

Wow! Koontz is a tremendous writer and this story was enthralling. This is the final installment of the series, and it ended well. It has more gore and grit than my typical read, but I think he balances that with intelligent dialogue and heartwarming characters. I give it four out of five stars.

Redemption by David Baldacci

 (Amos Decker #5)

417 pages / 12 hrs

"Amos Decker and his FBI partner Alex Jamison are visiting his hometown of Burlington, Ohio, when he's approached by an unfamiliar man. But he instantly recognizes the man's name: Meryl Hawkins. He's the first person Decker ever arrested for murder back when he was a young detective. Though a dozen years in prison have left Hawkins unrecognizably aged and terminally ill, one thing hasn't changed: He maintains he never committed the murders. Could it be possible that Decker made a mistake all those years ago? As he starts digging into the old case, Decker finds a startling connection to a new crime that he may be able to prevent, if only he can put the pieces together quickly enough..."  --from the publisher

I thoroughly enjoyed this story line mixing past and present cases, and the humanization of Amos Decker. I give it four out of five stars.

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave

320 pages / 9 hrs

"Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her. Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.

"As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered; as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss; as a US Marshal and FBI agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.

"Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future. One neither Hannah nor Bailey could have anticipated."  --from the publisher

I really enjoyed this story of intrigue. I give it four out of five stars.