The Raging Storm by Ann Cleeves

 Once again Ann Cleeves weaves her magic in a book that grips the reader from the beginning and holds them throughout, capturing the natural beauty of the Devon coast at its deadly best.

The quiet village of Greystone is abuzz when the sailing legend Jem Rosco shows up and tells everyone he is there to meet someone, but he won't say who that someone is--adding to the gossip surrounding him. When Rosco's naked body is later found in a dinghy anchored in a cove during a raging storm, Matthew Venn and his team are called in to solve the mysterious death. 

Just as Rosco had ties to the area, so does Matthew Venn. Greystone has a large contingent of the religious cult he was raised in and he has old connections to some of the residents as well. Viewed suspiciously by the residents and coldly by the cult, Venn works to establish trust with both factions to try and solve this case. When another death occurs that is deemed suspicious, the race is on to find the killer.

I admit that Cleeves' old Shetland Island series and her current Vera Stanhope series are among my favorite reads. I also admit that I wasn't completely sold on her Matthew Venn series when it first started, but I'm happy to find that Matthew is growing on me. In this outing, we get more background on Venn and the circumstances of his upbringing. Having renounced the religious cult and then being thrown back into it to solve the murders shows how adept Venn is at dealing with all sorts of people. 

The plot and characters in this book are complex and the writing is excellent with enough twists and red herrings to keep the reader engaged. Once again, another engrossing police procedural by Cleeves.

Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is September 5, 2023.

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Dark Ride by Lou Berney

 This is the third Lou Berney book I've read (November Road and The Long and Faraway Gone being the other two) and Dark Ride is Berney at storytelling his best. His characters are well-drawn and the story engaging.

Hardy "Hardly" Reed is happy with his life. He has no ambitions, is currently working as a sheriff in a rundown wild-west theme park and is stoned most of the time. His aimless life takes an abrupt turn when he encounters Jack and Pearl, aged six and seven, on a bench in the Department of Motor Vehicles waiting for their mother. He notices injuries on the children consistent with abuse and knows he must do something. Fanagiling the mother's information from a clerk who helped her, he contacts Child Protective Service, only to have the caseworker walk off the job in the middle of his report! Frustrated by the inaction and bureaucracy, Hardly gains a purpose in life: save these two children. What follows is an often cringe-worthy journey for Hardly as he transitions from an aimless life into a person who realizes he is the only person who can save these two children.

I did enjoy this book although the description of the child abuse was sad. Hardly is a wonderful, hapless character. who, once he got a goal, shifts gears and goes into savior mode. His friends are quirky but big-hearted. All-in-all, this is another excellent story from Lou Berney.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow for an advance copy for review. The publication date is September 19, 2023.

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Broadway Butterfly by Sara DiVello

 I was drawn to this book because it sounded intriguing: in 1923, a New York woman is found dead and the possible suspects range from a hoodlum to a wealthy Philadelphia businessman. Based on a true story, this historical fiction read is riveting.

When Dot King is found murdered in her apartment by her housekeeper, Ella Bradford, all of her jewels and furs missing, her scandalous lifestyle becomes a gold mine for the newspapers of the time, and pressure is placed on New York homicide detective John Coughlin to solve the murder. What Coughlin quickly finds out is that the politics of the case--going all the way up to President Harding's cabinet--is outweighed by his gut instinct that Dot's gigolo lover is the culprit. Besides getting political pressure to close the case, Coughlin is also held accountable by the only woman on the crime beat, reporter Julia Harpman who is determined that justice be done for Dot. 

Told mostly from Harpman's perspective, the book explores the many suspects and their motives as well as Coughlin's reasoning to narrow the field. This is a well-researched book that shines the light on a notoriously corrupt Harding presidency and brings the Roaring Twenties to life through Dot and her lovers and acquaintances. It's a fast-paced and well-written recounting of the murder and its subsequent investigation that kept New York riveted for years.

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What She Found by Robert Dugoni

 

I admit that this series is one of my favorite police procedurals. Robert Dugoni continually delivers excellent stories that are adeptly plotted and contain interesting characters, both with this series and his many standalone books.

Tracy Crosswhite is still the lone detective working Seattle cold cases when she is approached by Anita Childress whose mother, investigative journalist Lisa Childress, went missing 24 years ago. Under pressure to investigate only old cases with DNA samples that modern technology could probably help solve now, Tracy secretly begins to look into what happened to Lisa. What she finds intrigues her enough that she begins digging into the case, knowing full well that Lisa is probably dead, but still hoping to find something that could give closure to her daughter. To her surprise, the more Tracy digs the more she realizes that what Lisa was investigating could shine the spotlight on potential corruption not just in the police department but in the upper reaches of the Seattle government as well. Working the case could also put some of her own close relationships in jeopardy and possibly put her life at risk. 

Even though I liked Tracy more before she got married and had a child, the family relationships certainly add a depth of character to her that was missing in the earlier books. She is still a dedicated investigator but now sees that balancing her life is important to her well-being, a thing many of us perhaps need to be reminded of occasionally. This is a far-ranging story with many subplots that all come together neatly by the end. There are some moral dilemmas Tracy and other characters face that test the bonds of friendship and the need for absolution. All-in-all, this is another good book in the series.

For more information:

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The Stranger Upstairs by Lisa M. Matlin

 I'm always searching for new authors and finding this debut novel by an Australian author piqued my interest even more. Based on this promising book, I will add Matlin to my list of authors to follow.

Sarah Slade is a therapist and best-selling self-help author whose own marriage is in shambles. When she and her husband buy a run-down Victorian house where a gruesome murder occurred 40 years ago, Sarah hopes to restore it and flip it for a profit. She doesn't count on the hostile neighbors who want the house demolished, not restored, and the creepy feeling the house emanates. When odd things begin happening both to her and the contractors working on her house, she begins to wonder if the stories about the house are true: is it haunted?

I found the story a bit uneven at times, but overall this was a satisfying read. Although Sarah increasingly is captivated, if not captured by the house, her personality begins to change--or maybe it's revealing her true self. In any event, she becomes an increasingly unlikeable character whose decisions become poorer as events spiral out of her control. I think this is a good atmospheric novel and I look forward to more from Matlin.

Thank you NetGalley and Bantam publishers for an advance copy of this book n exchange for an honest review. These opinions are my own. The publication date is September 12, 2023.

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The Square of Sevens by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

I wasn't a fan of the fortune-telling part in the book The Cloisters so I was hesitant when I saw the main character in this book was also a fortune-teller. It turned out that the use of cards in The Square of Sevens was so deftly woven into the story that I looked forward to seeing what the cards would reveal.

Red was orphaned at an early age when her father, a Cornish "cunning man", died and left her in the care of a wealthy gentleman scholar, Robert Antrobus. Her legacy is her knowledge of fortune-telling using the Square of Sevens technique. Although she no longer casts fortunes for money, she is still in demand even in the sophisticated society of Bath. Secure in the Antrobus household, Red delves into her past, trying to find out who her mother was and what happened to her. What Red finds not only disrupts her life but those of the wealthy De Lacy and Seabrooke families. Could she be related to them and, if so, could she be a long-lost heir? Finding out could put her life in peril as well as those closest to her. 

This is a beautifully written book that is intricately plotted and whose characters come alive in eighteenth-century England. It is a complex mystery with twists that kept me engaged throughout. Red is a wonderful heroine and her life, though often trying, is one such that the reader hopes she comes out on the winning side. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is September 5, 2023.

For more information:

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Somebody’s Fool by Richard Russo

One of my favorite authors returns to one of my favorite places in this third book about the residents of North Bath, New York. This book can be read as a standalone, but why miss out on the pleasure of reading Nobody's Fool and its sequel, Everybody's Fool before reading this "fool" book? All three are wonderful reads.

It has been ten years since Sully died and North Bath, which has been circling the drain towards extension, has finally been annexed by its more vibrant neighbor, Schuyler Springs. Some municipal jobs have been absorbed in the process, but many small businesses are facing bleak futures as are some of the residents. One such is Peter Sullivan, Sully's son. He is mulling a future outside of North Bath but is saddled with continuing renovations to his father's old house and keeping tabs on various residents at his father's request. When his estranged son Thomas shows up, his priorities suddenly change. 

Focus shifts among the residents and their trials: Charice Bond has been appointed the police chief when Doug Raymer decides against pursuing his law enforcement career. On top of her new responsibilities, her emotionally crippled brother Jerome shows up at the same time a body is found. Meanwhile, Janey is trying to keep her diner going and at the same time, try and repair her relationships with her mother and daughter. Quite the juggling act.

This witty and engrossing story about the residents of North Bath is as compelling as it is insightful. The characters are just as finely drawn as they were in the previous two books. Everyone is a little older, but are they any wiser? That's for the reader to decide. This is an entirely satisfying read, but it left me wanting more. Please, Mr. Russo, don't let this be the last we see of these characters!

For more information:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble   |  Knopf Doubleday