Where are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark

 Where are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark, 268 pages

After nearly being put to death in California for the murder of her two children, Nancy Harmon flees to the east coast to try and rebuild her life. Seven years later, it happens again: her two children disappear from her yard and she is the prime suspect. Struggling against all odds, Nancy sets out not only to prove her innocence, but to save her beloved children from a gruesome fate. 

Wonderfully melodramatic in a way only 70's/80's media can be. I haven't read Mary Higgins Clark for years and wanted to revisit some of the books I read with my grandmother as a kid.  Definitely whets my interest to read the "sequel" that was released earlier this year. 

The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden

 

The Perfect Son by Freida McFadden - 371 pages

Erika Cass has a perfect family and a perfect life. Until the evening when two detectives show up at her front door.

A high school girl has vanished from Erika's quiet suburban neighborhood. The police suspect the worst--murder. And Erika's teenage son, Liam, was the last person to see the girl alive.

Erika has always sensed something dark and disturbed in her seemingly perfect older child. She wants to believe he's innocent, but as the evidence mounts, she can't deny the truth--Liam may have done the unthinkable.

Now she must ask herself:

How far will she go to protect her son?

Holy cow, this was an excellent book!  This grabs a hold of you from the beginning and even after the ending it doesn't let you go!  I loved this book; including the mandatory Freida McFadden twist and the ending.  

Pony by RJ Palacio

Pony by RJ Palacio 289 pages It took a while to get into this book. I love Historical fiction but this one had a slow start. After about 4 chapters I was hooked. This juvenile fiction had ghosts, death, kidnapping, adventure and shootings. I was very interested in reading to the end. I predicted some of the story line, but still kept my interest. Twelve-year-old Silas is awoken in the dead of night by three menacing horsemen who take his father away. Silas is left shaken, scared, and alone, except for the presence of his companion, Mittenwool... who happens to be a ghost. When a pony shows up at his door, Silas makes the courageous decision to leave his home and embark on a perilous journey to find his father. Along the way, he will face his fears to unlock the secrets of his past and explore the unfathomable mysteries of the world around him. R. J. Palacio spins a harrowing yet distinctly beautiful coming-of-age story about the power of love and the ties that bind us across distance and time. With the poignant depth of War Horse and the singular voice of True Grit, this is one of those rare books poised to become an instant classic for readers of all ages.

Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey

 

Redoubt by Mercedes Lackey - 330 pages

Collegium Chronicles #4

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Mags, a young Herald trainee in Haven, the capital city of the kingdom of Valdemar, has talents not commonly found in Herald trainees. Recognizing this, the King's Own Herald decides to train Mags as a spy in order to uncover the secrets of a mysterious new enemy who has taken an interest in Mags himself. Why is the even deeper mystery. The answers can only be found in the most unexpected corners of Mags' past...assuming he can live long enough to find them.

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

 The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

336 pages

It all started at a dinner party. . .

A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors--a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . .

Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all--a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.

Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they've kept for years.

What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family--a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.

I gave this book 5 stars on Goodreads because it was so good. I have read several books from this author and she is quite amazing. She has a knack for moving you one direction and then slipping the rug out from underneath you. I highly recommend this book if you love thrillers. I won't give out any spoilers, but the way this book ended it couldn't be real life. Except it would be something that you could watch on a true crime documentary.

Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross #1) by James Patterson

Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross #1) by James Patterson-502 pages (paperback)

I must admit that this is the first Patterson I've read. His writing is very simplistic and choppy (or at least it was in the beginning). The chapters and sentences are mostly very short. However, the story is pretty captivating, if somewhat harrowing. A man posing as a teacher at Washington Day private school kidnaps the Secretary of the Treasury's son and a daughter of a prominent actress. Doctor/Detective Alex Cross and his partner John Sampson are assigned as part of the team investigating the kidnapping. Alex Cross lost his wife to a ride-by shooting a few years before and now raises his two young kids with his grandma. A secret service agent involved in the investigation (Jezzie Flanagan) gets close with Cross and they fall in love. Not all is as it seems in this entire case (and other potentially related) cases, however. There are some interesting (if predicable, at times) plot twists. Overall, I liked this one alright and would give it 3 out of 5 stars. I may or may not read another book by Patterson.

Half Moon Bay by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman

 Half Moon Bay by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman - 354 pages

Clay Edison has his hands full. He’s got a new baby who won’t sleep. He’s working the graveyard shift. And he’s trying, for once, to mind his own business. Then comes the first call. Workers demolishing a local park have made a haunting discovery: the decades-old skeleton of a child. But whose? And how did it get there?

No sooner has Clay begun to investigate than he receives a second call—this one from a local businessman, wondering if the body could belong to his sister. She went missing fifty years ago, the man says. Or at least I think she did. It’s a little complicated.

And things only get stranger from there. Clay’s relentless search for answers will unearth a history of violence and secrets, revolution and betrayal. Because in this town, the past isn’t dead. It’s very much alive. And it can be murderous.

This is the 3rd book in this series, and I really like that thay are mysteries without being gory, yet there is some suspence to them.

 

The President's Daughter by Bill Clinton and James Patterson-594 pages

Michael Keating is a former Navy SEAL -- and a former President of the United States.  Now relocated to rural New Hampshire,  all he wants is to have a normal family life..even though he is still surrounded by secret service agents.  But then a terrorist who is bent on revenge kidnaps his daughter.  He will have to pull in some favors and rely on his Seal training to try to rescue her since he is getting no help from the current President.  It is quite a thriller and I enjoyed it very much.

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

 Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica - 384 pages

People don’t just disappear without a trace....

Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold.

Now, 11 years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they’ll find....

In this smart and chilling thriller, master of suspense and New York Times best-selling author Mary Kubica takes domestic secrets to a whole new level, showing that some people will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.

I really loved this book. I loved the flashbacks to when Meredith was around and then back to present time. I instantly fell in love with Meredith's character. This book really kept me guessing until the very end. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good mystery.

Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter

Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter -- 297 pages

Bestselling author Ally Carter returns with an exciting stand-alone novel, about a girl stranded in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness with the boy who wronged her . . . as an assassin moves in.

Maddie and Logan were torn apart by a kidnapping attempt when they were young. They were only kids -- Logan's dad was POTUS and Maddie's father was the Secret Service agent meant to guard him. The kidnappers were stopped -- but Maddie was whisked off to Alaska with her father, for safety. Maddie and Logan had been inseparable . . . but then she never heard from him again.

Now it's a few years later. Maddie's a teenager, used to living a solitary life with her father. It's quiet -- until Logan is sent to join them. After all this time without a word, Maddie has nothing to say to him -- until their outpost is attacked, and Logan is taken. They won't be out of the woods until they're . . . out of the woods, and Maddie's managed to thwart the foes and reconcile with Logan.

 

The Girl in the White Van by April Henry

 The Girl in the White Van by April Henry-224 pages

I read "The Girl I Used to Be" by April Henry previously and it was a good read, so I bought this when it was released. I am reading it now as part of this month's challenge. This was also a good read with a good ending. Savannah Taylor is kidnapped by a man in a white van after Kung Fu class one night. She's a teenager who lives with her mom and Tim, her mom's boyfriend. Savannah is taken to a remote place and placed captive in an old RV with another teenage girl named Jenny Dowd, who was kidnapped and brought to the RV ten months ago. Savannah and Jenny plot their escape, but their kidnapper, who insists they call him Sir, and his vicious dog, Rex are formidable obstacles. Will they escape? I like that this story is told from many perspectives, such as both Jenny and Savannah and their parents/family and friends. 

The Stolen Daughter by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

 The Stolen Daughter by ReShonda Tate Billingsley - 320 pages

Raised by a widowed mother, Jill Reed has come a long way from her difficult youth. But while she may not have had money, Jill never doubted she was rich in love. Her mother, Connie, made Jill the center of her world. Now, even though she has a young family of her own, it’s Jill’s turn to care for her ailing mother.

When early dementia begins to set in, Connie starts talking about Jill’s “other life.” Jill assumes it’s just rambling confusion. Still, Connie’s stories about Jill’s childhood, and her father’s early death, never quite added up. And when a strange man shows up to Jill’s job bearing news that turns Jill’s life upside down, there’s no denying Connie’s devastating secret.

As Jill sets out to learn more about her past, she’s stunned by what she learns and what it will mean for her future. Now, she must decide what price she’s willing to pay to claim the life that’s rightfully hers. 

This was a good book. At times Jill was the only character that I really liked. Everyone else around her seemed selfish at times. I'm not sure I would have been able to put up with everyone else being so opinionated and pushy about something so personal that was happening to me. I also don't know if I could have been so forgiving of either family. It is a book that definitely makes you think questions like that at the end. 

Piece of My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark

Piece of My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark-319 pages

In the 7th installment in the Under Suspicion series, Laurie and her fiancee Alex find themselves searching for Alex's nephew after being abducted from the beach.  The wedding is put on hold as the search takes on a sinister twist.  Will he be found alive?  An excellent installment in the series.  I enjoyed it very much.  Mary Higgins Clark has left the series in very capable hands.  I do hope that Alafair Burke carries on.  We will miss you, Mary Higgins Clark.

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway

 

Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway - 343 pages

Emmy and Oliver were best friends . . . up until the day he disappeared in second grade.  Life completely changed with Oliver gone.  Then one day, Oliver is back.

This has been on my list of books to read for a while.  I'm glad I finally got around to it.  I really enjoyed the book.  I liked the characters and that they had several different dimensions to them.  I hope to read more books by this author.

The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child

 

The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child - 368 pages
Release date: October 27, 2020

One of the perks of being a librarian is getting access to advance reader copies of upcoming books from the publishers.   So I got to read the new Jack Reacher book early - yay!  This book marks the introduction of Lee Child's younger brother Andrew as a co-writer.   The addition of Andrew will help keep the series alive as Lee transitions towards retirement.  The overall tone of the book remains classic Reacher with all the elements we know and love: blowing into a random town, seeing a person in crisis and intervening, and the resolution of the crisis through violence and also a stellar understanding of human motivations.  Reacher does use a cell phone in this book, gasp!  So we may be seeing a new era of technology entering into his adventures.  

Reacher hitches a ride into a small Tennessee town and foils a kidnapping while trying to get a cup of coffee.  The kidnap victim is at the center of a ransomware plot that has taken down the town's computer infrastructure.  The ransomware attack is just the most obvious part of a plot that reaches further into both the past and the present than initially thought.  This book is very timely in its look at the threat that hackers pose to our critical infrastructure.

The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz

The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz - 294 pages

Catalina and her best friend were witnesses to a murder 15 years ago.  Nobody believed them so they stopped talking about it.  But now, someone has set out to find the witnesses.  Catalina must work with fellow investigator Slater to find her kidnapped friend and discover what really happened then and now.

I believe this is probably the first book in a new paranormal series by Jayne Ann Krentz.  All of the characters are psychic in some way.  It also features a huge conspiracy theory.  I enjoyed the book although at times the story felt rushed.

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner - 402 pages
Book 2 - A Queen's Thief

Eugenides has been caught by the Queen of Attolia.  As punishment, she cuts off his hand.  This simple act starts off a three-way war between the countries of Attolia, Eddis, and Sounis.  All three countries are fighting to maintain their independence and to hold off the Medes who want to take over their continent.  Now Eugenides must rise above this handicap to bring peace to Eddis and Attolia.  He has a wild plan . . . to kidnap the Queen of Attolia and convince her to marry him.

I'm continuing to re-read the Queen's Thief series.  It is my favorite series.  With this book, we start to get more into the political intrigue that marks the series.  It's a turn from the adventure story that was the first book. 

The Obsidian Chamber by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

   The Obsidian Chamber by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child-403 pages


As we begin reading this, the 16th installment in the Pendergast series, Agent Pendergast is missing and presumed dead.  His ward Constance Green is overcome with grief and retreats into her basement rooms.  But soon she is abducted by a mysterious figure and when Proctor, Pendergasts butler/bodyguard realizes that she has been taken he pursues her traversing the globe.  Pendergast reappears as we know he always will.  He is like a cat..9 lives at least!  I highly recommend this series.

The Institute by Stephen King

The Institute by Stephen King - 576 pages

This book is a throwback in a good way to early King novels such as Firestarter and It with its themes of children with powers fighting evil government agencies. 

Luke Ellis, an extremely smart kid, is sleeping when agents sneak into his Minneapolis house, murder his parents, and kidnap him for transport to The Institute.  He wakes up in a room that looks just like the bedroom he left but there is no window and the door opens onto an institutional hallway and a yard with other kids.  Luke soon discovers that the sinister forces behind The Institute are dead set on extracting psychic powers from the minds of gifted kids no matter the cost.  King's worlds are never black and white and it is fascinating to see what choices his characters will make in the grey. 

The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld

The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld - 288 pages

A young girl disappears from a forested trail while on a trip to find and cut down a Christmas tree with her parents.  Three years later her parents still haven't given up hope that Madison Culver could still be found.  They hire Naomi, a private investigator, who has a gift for finding the lost and the missing.  Naomi's search takes her deep into the Oregon forests and also into her own past when she was one of the lost as well.  This very suspenseful story alternates between Naomi and the perspective of an extremely imaginative child.  This novel is a compelling look at redemption, the extraordinary resilience of the human mind, and the will to survive