scknitter's reviews
1419 reviews

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 The Business Trip grabbed my attention immediately and then it took a very unexpected turn. As you finally are given enough info to know what has happened you are once again hit with a total surprise. I could not stop listening to this book and the epilogue was just an added bonus. Thanks to #netgalley for an adv. listening copy. 
Heavy Are the Stones by J.D. Barker

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dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
If you have read J.D. Barker before you know what to expect – the hunt for a serial killer and horrific descriptions of brutal murders. If you haven’t, prepare yourself for a pulse pounding page turner you won’t soon forget. While the villain is pretty obvious early on the story really revolves around Detective Jena Campbell (who famously identified the serial killer Leviticus 5 years earlier) and her determination to catch the current killer and save the life of his hostage, the 17-year-old son of the Governor. Jena is determined to save Jack’s life even if it means losing everything she holds dear including her own life. She did an unbelievably bad thing 5 years ago, and even if it was for an incredibly good reason she knows she must sacrifice herself in order to have a chance of saving Jack.  Thanks to #libro.fm for an advanced listening copy.

The Lake of Lost Girls by Katherine Greene

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

A cold case (4 female students disappeared from a small college in NC 24 years ago), police ineptitude, a dual timeline, several prime suspects, and a true crime podcast are all central to this twisty thriller. I didn’t like the characters which is usually a turn off for me, but I was hooked into the story line early on and had to learn what happened to the 4 young women.

This is a review of the audiobook.
The Butcher by Jennifer Hillier

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
Having read Hillier before and with a title of The Butcher I shouldn’t have been surprised at how gory the book was and how depraved and evil the killer was. As it says in her bio, Jennifer Hillier imagines the worst in people and then writes about it. You learn who the killer is early on, but you are still left guessing as to how this will end and who else will be hurt and how. Thanks to #libro.fm for an advanced listening copy.

The Man Made of Smoke by Alex North

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dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 
Dan Garvie unknowingly came face to face with a serial killer and one of the killer’s victims when he was just a child, not much older than the terrified boy that he did nothing to help. A Man Made of Smoke is an emotional, dark, and terrifying psychological tale of how guilt from that time affected not only Daniel but also his father who was chief of police. It is a haunting tale of how poor self esteem as well as guilt has driven them apart. And it is the story of possible revenge. Has that terrified child of long ago returned to kill those who didn’t see or didn’t care or is something more sinister at work? You won’t want to stop reading until you know the answer. 

An Insignificant Case by Phillip Margolin

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 I love legal thrillers and Philip Margolin never disappoints. In this stand-alone novel Charlie Webb is a third-rate lawyer from a third-rate law school who gets by representing old college friends in barroom brawls and court appointed clients. When he is appointed to represent a known mentally disturbed man on a simple robbery case everything changes. The man who stole back a painting he sold also stole something from a safe that could potentially put a lot of very prominent Oregonians in prison and Charlie soon finds himself and his client the target of some extremely dangerous men. Lots of twists and legal maneuvering make this a fast-paced legal thriller you won’t want to miss. 

Sleep Tight by J.H. Markert

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 
What a perfect book to listen to the week before Halloween. It grabbed me from the start, and I couldn’t wait to see how a serial killer just put to death, an inmate in an insane asylum (and the only boy to escape the serial killer), and the “outlaw” who was currently killing people and kidnapping children were all tied together. It was creepy and scary without being too gory – though the child abuse was tough to read. There was an interesting look at cults, and dissociative identities, and good old-fashioned police work.  #libro.fm

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Head Cases by John McMahon

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 
The Pattern and Recognition (PAR) group of the FBI is made up of a group of brilliant misfits, all of whom have done something to anger the higher ups. Perhaps the most brilliant of them and also the most socially awkward is Gardner Camden. But he is also the most honest and the most dedicated to the FBI. When a serial killer starts killing serial killers- one of whom Camden thought had died 8 years earlier - the PAR unit is given the case and the typical bureaucracy that exists in organizations such as the FBI plays an important role in the story and Camden is put to the test. Hopefully, this is the start of a new series with Gardner Camden and his cohorts. 

We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Lots of characters, most of whom are definitely a little quirky, lots of story lines, lots of laughter and lots of murders all combine to make this cleverly plotted mystery a real winner.  I can't wait for the next case for the 'We Solve Murders' detective agency. 
A Killing Cold by Kate Alice Marshall

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A wealthy family will do anything, and I mean anything, to protect their 
reputation. But things become very complicated when it turns out the family 
has been hiding things from each other. The setting of a camp like compound 
on an isolated private mountain in the dead of winter helps make this twisty 
tale of family, lies, and murder a thriller you won’t be able to put down.