The Alienist by Caleb Carr

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Title: The Alienist

Author: Caleb Carr
Series: Dr. Laszlo Kreizler (Book #1)

Genre: Thriller / Mystery / Historical Fiction

Length: 599 pages

Published: 1994

Publisher: Bantam Books

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) The year is 1896, the place, New York City. On a cold March night New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned to the East River by his friend and former Harvard classmate Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, or "alienist." On the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge, they view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy, a prostitute from one of Manhattan's infamous brothels.

The newly appointed police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt, in a highly unorthodox move, enlists the two men in the murder investigation, counting on the reserved Kreizler's intellect and Moore's knowledge of New York's vast criminal underworld. They are joined by Sara Howard, a brave and determined woman who works as a secretary in the police department. Laboring in secret (for alienists, and the emerging discipline of psychology, are viewed by the public with skepticism at best), the unlikely team embarks on what is a revolutionary effort in criminology-- amassing a psychological profile of the man they're looking for based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who has killed before--and will kill again before the hunt is over.

Fast-paced and gripping, infused with a historian's exactitude, The Alienist conjures up the Gilded Age and its untarnished underside: verminous tenements and opulent mansions, corrupt cops and flamboyant gangsters, shining opera houses and seamy gin mills. Here is a New York during an age when questioning society's belief that all killers are born, not made, could have unexpected and mortal consequences.

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

So the plot was excellent. I enjoyed the search for the killer, the use of "new" technology to examine the bodies and the crime scenes, and the use of what we now would call profiling. There were some great little subplots by including political intrigue, sinister crime bosses, and even romance. 

My main issue with the book was that it was slow to develop the story. Things didn't really pick up for awhile and it was hard to get into the book. There were a lot of philosophical type debates that went on and sometimes those would make my eyes glaze over, so I'd find myself having to put the book away for a day or so. Otherwise this was a pretty good read.

You can purchase The Alienist through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Alienist? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Codex by Douglas Preston

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Title: The Codex

Author: Douglas Preston

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Length: 404 pages

Published: 2003

Publisher: Forge Books

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) "Greetings from the dead," declares Maxwell Broadbent on the videotape he left behind after his mysterious disappearance. A notorious treasure hunter and tomb robber, Broadbent accumulated over a half a billion dollars' worth of priceless art, gems, and artifacts before vanishing---along with his entire collection---from his mansion in New Mexico.

At first, robbery is suspected, but the truth proves far stranger: As a final challenge to his three sons, Broadbent has buried himself and his treasure somewhere in the world, hidden away like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. If the sons wish to claim their fabulous inheritance, they must find their father's carefully concealed tomb.

The race is on, but the three brothers are not the only ones competing for the treasure. This secret is so astounding it cannot be kept quiet for long. With half a billion dollars at stake, as well as an ancient Mayan codex that may hold a cure for cancer and other deadly diseases, others soon join the hunt---and some of them will stop at nothing to claim the grave goods.
The bestselling coauthor of such page-turning thrillers as Relic and The Cabinet of Curiosities, Douglas Preston now spins an unforgettable tale of greed, adventure, and betrayal.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

This was one of those books that just begged me to not put it down. The concept was great - three brothers heading out separately to try to find their father's tomb, and their inheritance. Tom, the brother who we follow the most throughout the story, is reluctant to start the search. In fact, he only ends up going to Honduras because of Sally Colorado - a woman who wants to find the Codex, a Mayan medical encyclopedia. There are a lot of near-death experiences and you see most of the characters transform because of these experiences. The action almost seemed non-stop, making this a great thriller to read.

You can purchase The Codex through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Codex? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Blasphemy by Douglas Preston

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Title: Blasphemy

Author: Douglas Preston
Series: Wyman Ford (Book #2)

Genre: Mystery

Length: 416

Published: 2007

Publisher: Forge Books

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) The world's biggest supercollider, locked in an Arizona mountain, was built to reveal the secrets of the very moment of creation: the Big Bang itself. 

The Torus is the most expensive machine ever created by humankind, run by the world’s most powerful supercomputer. It is the brainchild of Nobel Laureate William North Hazelius. Will the Torus divulge the mysteries of the creation of the universe? Or will it, as some predict, suck the earth into a mini black hole? Or is the Torus a Satanic attempt, as a powerful televangelist decries, to challenge God Almighty on the very throne of Heaven?

Twelve scientists under the leadership of Hazelius are sent to the remote mountain to turn it on, and what they discover must be hidden from the world at all costs. Wyman Ford, ex-monk and CIA operative, is tapped to wrest their secret, a secret that will either destroy the world…or save it.

The countdown begins…

My Review:

I give this book a 4 out of 5. 

Like most of Douglas Preston's books (that I've read), the action doesn't really happen until the final chapters. The beginning three-quarters of the book is build up to the final showdown. The story itself is not bad, and Preston does a good job of explaining some of the more difficult scientific terms that are used. Fans of Tyrannosaur Canyon will be glad to see Wyman Ford back in action.

You can purchase Blasphemy through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Blasphemy? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Book #3) by Stieg Larsson

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Title: The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

Author: Stieg Larsson
Series: Millennium Trilogy (Book #3)

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Length: 563 pages

Published: 2006

Publisher: Knopf

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Lisbeth Salander — the heart of Larsson’s two previous novels — lies in critical condition, a bullet wound to her head, in the intensive care unit of a Swedish city hospital. She’s fighting for her life in more ways than one: if and when she recovers, she’ll be taken back to Stockholm to stand trial for three murders. With the help of her friend, journalist Mikael Blomkvist, she will not only have to prove her innocence, but also identify and denounce those in authority who have allowed the vulnerable, like herself, to suffer abuse and violence. And, on her own, she will plot revenge—against the man who tried to kill her, and the corrupt government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life.

Once upon a time, she was a victim. Now Salander is fighting back.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

The final volume in this thrilling trilogy is perhaps the most thrilling of them all. Lisbeth is trying to heal from being shot in the head all while locked in her hospital room by the police. After the Section takes out Zalachenko and nearly takes out Lisbeth, it's time to fight back. Mikael spends his days finishing his book about the Section and Lisbeth and manages to smuggle a hand held computer into Salander's room. While there, she is able to use her hacker skills to get a few hacker friends on the trail, help Erika Berger with a nasty stalker, and write her autobiographical statement to deliver at the time of her trial. 

The trial is set for mid-July and it's a race to see whether those in Salander's court can stay one step ahead of the ruthless government entity which Mikael calls the Section.

And just when you think it's all over, there's another sixty pages tying up all the loose ends, at least one of which is barely mentioned throughout the book but is an integral part of the story. 

You can purchase The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Girl who Played with Fire (Book #2) by Stieg Larsson

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Title: The Girl who Played with Fire

Author: Stieg Larsson
Series: Millennium Trilogy (Book #2)

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Length: 503 pages

Published: 2006

Publisher: Knopf

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) The girl with the dragon tattoo is back. Stieg Larsson's seething heroine, Lisbeth Salander, once again finds herself paired with journalist Mikael Blomkvist on the trail of a sinister criminal enterprise. Only this time, Lisbeth must return to the darkness of her own past (more specifically, an event coldly known as "All the Evil") if she is to stay one step ahead--and alive. The Girl Who Played with Fire is a break-out-in-a-cold-sweat thriller that crackles with stunning twists and dismisses any talk of a sophomore slump. Fans of Larsson's prior work will find even more to love here, and readers who do not find their hearts racing within the first five pages may want to confirm they still have a pulse. Expect healthy doses of murder, betrayal, and deceit, as well as enough espresso drinks to fuel downtown Seattle for months.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

This is an excellent follow up to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Mikael Blomkvist and his magazine Millennium have achieved notoriety for his takedown of Wennerstrom. Lisbeth Salander is off seeing the world and living off the money she managed to steal from Wennerstrom before he was destroyed. And then she returns to Sweden. 

And murders start happening. Blamed for the murder of three people, Salander secludes herself in the secret apartment she had bought in order to track down who is framing her. Convinced of Salander's innocence, Mikael spends his days trying to figure out who really killed the three victims Salander is blamed for killing. 

It's a race for the truth, and it ends with a bang. 

I could not put this book down. Who is the mysterious "Zala"? Who is really responsible for these murders? Why is Lisbeth being framed and by whom? If you want to find out, pick up the second book in this trilogy and start cracking that mystery!

You can purchase The Girl who Played with Fire through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Girl who Played with Fire? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Book #1) by Stieg Larsson

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Title: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Author: Stieg Larsson
Series: Millennium Trilogy (Book #1)

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Length: 465 pages

Published: 2005

Publisher: Knopf

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Mikael Blomkvist, a once-respected financial journalist, watches his professional life rapidly crumble around him. Prospects appear bleak until an unexpected (and unsettling) offer to resurrect his name is extended by an old-school titan of Swedish industry. The catch—and there's always a catch—is that Blomkvist must first spend a year researching a mysterious disappearance that has remained unsolved for nearly four decades. With few other options, he accepts and enlists the help of investigator Lisbeth Salander, a misunderstood genius with a cache of authority issues. Little is as it seems in Larsson's novel, but there is at least one constant: you really don't want to mess with the girl with the dragon tattoo.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

It's been a long time coming, but I'm finally tackling this trilogy. It came on my radar around the time that the movie came out, and I knew I needed to read it. Naturally I was busy reading other books and since the movie was on its way out every single copy in the library was checked out. [I'm experiencing similar issues with both Flowers in the Attic (because of the new Lifetime movie version) and Labor Day (which I'm going to read for a book club I'm in).] So I've finally gotten around to this series. I also have to admit that I saw the movie version of this book about a year ago. The movie does a really good job, but the book is so much better (as most books are). 

My favorite character, without a doubt, was Lisbeth Salander. She takes absolutely no shit. As other characters ponder the enigma that is Lisbeth, they see her as the perfect victim. Which she truly is. Even though she takes no shit and has a "don't care" attitude, she is definitely broken. She gets her revenge on a number of people, including the man who is supposed to be her guardian. 

The other main protagonist is Mikael Blomkvist. Freshly convicted of libel against a major industrialist, Mikael is a journalist in disgrace. He ends up taking a job in the middle of nowhere ghostwriting an autobiography of industrialist Henrik Vanger. That is just the cover story, though, as his real purpose is to find out what happened to Henrik's beloved niece, Harriet, who disappeared in 1966 and is believed dead. 

It takes a long time for Lisbeth and Mikael to finally cross paths and meet up with each other (over half the book!), but once they're working together, the pair make a formidable research team. 

There is more than one mystery to be solved in this novel, and Larsson makes sure that all of the mysteries are solved by the end of the book. It's well written and does a great job explaining some of the more technical financial terms that the average person might not understand. Definitely worth the read!

You can purchase The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Alice Close Your Eyes by Averil Dean

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Title: Alice Close Your Eyes

Author: Averil Dean

Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Mystery

Length: 288 pages

Published: January 1st, 2014

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) With haunting prose and deft psychological insight, Averil Dean spins a chilling story that explores the dark corners of obsession–love, pain and revenge.

Ten years ago, someone ruined Alice Croft's life. Now she has a chance to right that wrong–and she thinks she's found the perfect man to carry out her plan. After watching him for weeks, she breaks into Jack Calabrese's house to collect the evidence that will confirm her hopes. When Jack comes home unexpectedly, Alice hides in the closet, fearing for her life. But upon finding her, Jack is strangely calm, solicitous . . . and intrigued.

That night is the start of a dark and intense attraction, and soon Alice finds herself drawn into a labyrinth of terrifying surrender to a man who is more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. As their relationship spirals toward a breaking point, Alice begins to see just how deep Jack's secrets run–and how deadly they could be.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I won an advance copy of this book through Goodreads. 

I feel like I say this a lot, but...I could not put it down. Right from the beginning I was intrigued by Alice. What secrets was she hiding? Why was she in Jack's house?

Throughout the course of the novel, you learn Alice's secrets. In many cases, they don't come out and say what happened, you just sort of learn about them through short flashbacks as she tells her story. It starts out with Alice breaking into Jack's house looking for his "box" where he keeps his memories and tokens from the past. Jack catches her...then lets her go. As the story goes on, she becomes aware that he is stalking her right back. Eventually she agrees to have dinner with him.

From that point on, interspersed with hot sex scenes that consistently get more violent and dangerous, you learn more and more about Alice's past and why she really broke into Jack's house. As things with Jack progress far past what she ever intended, Alice begins facing her demons and learns things about herself that she never knew. 

The obsession ends on a dark, yet somewhat hopeful note. I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend you check it out when it comes out next month!

You can purchase Alice Close Your Eyes through Amazon in hard copy or Kindle format. ***Publication date is set for January 1st, 2014! 

Have you read Alice Close Your Eyes? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Defending Jacob by William Landay

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Title: Defending Jacob

Author: William Landay

Genre: Mystery

Length: 432 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.

Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.

Award-winning author William Landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisis—a suspenseful, character-driven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I was going to give this 4 stars because it seemed to drag on a bit and it felt like it took forever to read (only a few days but I think I was coming down from a "book-a-day" craze since I was reading a ton of shorter books right before this). There were a lot of legal terms used since the narrator is a lawyer, but the author made sure that they were explained to the other characters who were not lawyers. He managed this pretty well, seamlessly inserting definitions of some of the more complicated terms without making it seem like he was solely explaining them for the reader.

Because of the ending, which was honestly a little bit of a shocker, I had to bump it up to five stars. After I finished the book, I realized that there were a ton of extremely subtle hints throughout the book that were placed to lead up to the ending. You don't even really realize that they're there until after you finish the book. This was a well-written, incredible novel. Definitely worth the read!

You can purchase Defending Jacob through Amazon in either hard copy or kindle format. 

Have you read Defending Jacob? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Cartwheel by Jennifer Dubois

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Title: Cartwheel

Author: Jennifer Dubois

Genre: Mystery

Length: 384 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: Random House

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) When Lily Hayes arrives in Buenos Aires for her semester abroad, she is enchanted by everything she encounters: the colorful buildings, the street food, the handsome, elusive man next door. Her studious roommate Katy is a bit of a bore, but Lily didn’t come to Argentina to hang out with other Americans.

Five weeks later, Katy is found brutally murdered in their shared home, and Lily is the prime suspect. But who is Lily Hayes? It depends on who’s asking. As the case takes shape—revealing deceptions, secrets, and suspicious DNA—Lily appears alternately sinister and guileless through the eyes of those around her: the media, her family, the man who loves her and the man who seeks her conviction. With mordant wit and keen emotional insight, Cartwheel offers a prismatic investigation of the ways we decide what to see—and to believe—in one another and ourselves.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I read an ARC copy of this novel that I won on Goodreads. The story starts out following Andrew Hayes, Lily's father, as he arrives in Buenos Aires after her arrest with her sister, Anna. After a few chapters, the story jumps back a month to when Lily first came to Buenos Aires and begins to follow her. You get to see from a variety of different people how they view Lily, including how she views herself. Absent from these point of views is Katy, the victim. I'm sure this is meant intentionally as the story is really not about the murder, but how people view each other and themselves. 

This was really a great novel. And at the end you're still left with the question of "Did Lily really kill Katy?". The reader is left with making that decision for him or herself. If you love a good character study: you'll love this book.

You can purchase Cartwheel through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Cartwheel? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper

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Title: The Demonologist

Author: Andrew Pyper

Genre: Horror, Mystery

Length: 304 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Professor David Ullman’s expertise in the literature of the demonic—notably Milton’s Paradise Lost—has won him wide acclaim. But David is not a believer.

One afternoon he receives a visitor at his campus office, a strikingly thin woman who offers him an invitation: travel to Venice, Italy, witness a “phenomenon,” and offer his professional opinion, in return for an extravagant sum of money. Needing a fresh start, David accepts and heads to Italy with his beloved twelve-year-old daughter Tess.

What happens in Venice will send David on an unimaginable journey from skeptic to true believer, as he opens himself up to the possibility that demons really do exist. In a terrifying quest guided by symbols and riddles from the pages of Paradise Lost, David attempts to rescue his daughter from the Unnamed—a demonic entity that has chosen him as its messenger.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

Wow. Brilliant. Hard to put down. Riveting.

This caught my attention from the moment I opened the book and read the first page. David Ullman is an atheist who spends his days lecturing about Milton's Paradise Lost, the epic poem about Satan and the Fall of Man. He's always had a melancholy about him that he also sees in his daughter, Tess. Tess has always had a very close relationship with her father.

When his wife tells him she's moving out, he takes Tess to Venice, to go and witness a phenomenon that he's been invited to view by a woman he calls "the Thin Woman". That trip to Venice propels him on a journey to save his daughter from the hands of demons, as well as himself.

This is truly one of the more riveting stories I've read recently. I could barely put it down. I have not read Paradise Lost, but you don't need to have read it to understand what is going on throughout the novel. The author does a good enough job explaining different passages and their meanings that you can get the general idea of what the poem is about and what it means in reference to David and his daughter. The Demonologist is vaguely reminiscent of some of the theological themed horror movies where possession is a key part of the plot. David's wanderings throughout the U.S. and Canada are even loosely reminiscent of The Da Vinci Code where Robert Langdon follows obscure clues to unravel the mystery.

But all combined, it makes for an excellent tale that leads David not only to his daughter but the truth about himself. Andrew Pyper has a writing style that I really like. I definitely plan on checking out more of his books.

You can purchase The Demonologist through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read The Demonologist? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

My Second Death by Lydia Cooper

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Title: My Second Death

Author: Lydia Cooper

Genre: Mystery

Length: 336 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: Tyrus Books

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) In Lydia Cooper's wry and absorbing debut novel, we are introduced to Mickey Brandis, a brilliant twenty-eight-year-old doctoral candidate in medieval literature who is part Lisbeth Salander and part Dexter. She lives in her parents' garage and swears too often, but she never complains about the rain or cold, she rarely eats dead animals, and she hasn't killed a man since she was ten. Her life is dull and predictable but legal, and she intends to keep it that way.

But the careful existence Mickey has created in adulthood is upended when she is mysteriously led to a condemned house where she discovers an exquisitely mutilated corpse. The same surreal afternoon, she is asked by a timid, wall-eyed art student to solve a murder that occurred twenty years earlier. While she gets deeper and deeper into the investigation, she begins to lose hold on her tenuous connection to reality--to her maddening students and graduate thesis advisor; to her stoic parents, who are no longer speaking; to her confused, chameleon-like adolescent brother; and to her older brother, Dave, a zany poet who is growing increasingly erratic and keenly interested in Mickey's investigation.

Driven by an unforgettable voice, and filled with razor-sharp wit and vivid characters, "My Second Death" is a smart, suspenseful novel and a provocative examination of family, loyalty, the human psyche, and the secrets we keep to save ourselves.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I received a copy of this through a Goodreads giveaway. 

In all of the books I have read, I have never found a character more fascinating that Michaela (Mickey) Brandis. I was hooked in the first few pages. I have to say that Mickey is probably my favorite fictional character to date. The entire novel is written in her matter-of-fact voice. You see the emotions of others and it's definitely a jarring contrast to Mickey's lack of emotions. 

This novel is slated as a mystery and a thriller. I found it to be a little different than most mysteries and thrillers. There are two mysteries that Mickey needs to solve: who killed and mutilated the homeless man in the condemned home, and who killed Aidan's mother twenty years prior. Usually with a mystery or a thriller, you find danger lurking at every step. Not so with My Second Death. 

There's also one more mystery lurking in those pages: what happened to cause Mickey to kill a man when she was ten? Clues are scattered throughout the novel, little mentions here and there of things that occurred when Mickey was a child, both leading up to and after the murder she committed. 

Throughout the novel, you watch as Mickey awkwardly deals with  the emotions of her parents, younger brother, and other people she encounters. She has a close relationship with her older brother, though he seems to be going in a downward spiral with drugs again. The only other person she seems to be able to relate to in any way is her roommate, Aidan. 

There aren't a lot of shock moments, as many mysteries have. No red herrings to draw Mickey into danger or away from the culprit. It's almost as if the murderer wants Mickey to figure out who killed the homeless man. Later a homeless woman Mickey has befriended (in a way) is also murdered. And while the reader can probably figure out the killer at that point, it's not revealed until much later. And Mickey herself doesn't seem to figure it out either.

I really, really enjoyed this book. While it would be have been wonderful to have more action, I was so captivated by the characters that it didn't matter. I honestly don't think that there is any part of this book that I did not like, except perhaps that the ending was pretty fast-paced compared to the rest of the book and felt it was a little awkward compared to the slow pace of the rest of the novel. 

You can purchase My Second Death through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read My Second Death? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Crossbones Yard by Kate Rhodes

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Title: Crossbones Yard

Author: Kate Rhodes

Genre: Mystery

Length: 320 pages

Published: 2013

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) Introducing Alice Quentin, a London psychologist with family baggage, who finds herself at the center of a grisly series of murders.

Alice Quentin is a psychologist with some painful family secrets, but she has a good job, a good-looking boyfriend, and excellent coping skills, even when that job includes evaluating a convicted killer who’s about to be released from prison. One of the highlights of her day is going for a nice, long run around her beloved London—it's impossible to fret or feel guilty about your mother or brother when you're concentrating on your breathing—until she stumbles upon a dead body at a former graveyard for prostitutes, Crossbones Yard.

The dead woman’s wounds are alarmingly similar to the signature style of Ray and Marie Benson, who tortured and killed thirteen women before they were caught and sent to jail. Five of their victims were never found. That was six years ago, and the last thing Alice wants to do is to enter the sordid world of the Bensons or anyone like them. But when the police ask for her help in building a psychological profile of the new murderer, she finds that the killer—and the danger to her and the people she cares about—may already be closer than she ever imagined.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I received a copy of this through a Goodreads giveaway (I've won a bunch of books through them so you'll see that note a lot in the coming posts because I'm plowing through them right now!). 

I love a good mystery. The danger, the suspense, the tragic hero/heroine...all of it. I could not put this book down. Alice Quentin is a psychologist with her own dark past. The abuse she was victim to as a child, the state of denial her mother lives her days in, and the attempts at helping her brother (who had suffered a nervous breakdown several years before and lived out of his van, doing drugs to self-medicate his bipolar disorder) all shape who she is - and how she reacts to things. She's claustrophobic, taking the stairs or running to escape enclosed spaces, or people.

She starts out by finding a dead body while on her run. After finding the dead body, the police want her to help them profile the killer, as the victim's wounds are nearly identical to the wounds that victims from a previous serial murder case had. Except the killing team who perpetrated those murders are already rotting - one in jail and the other six feet under. Then she starts receiving threatening letters. 
Someone is stalking her. It's all connected to the murder case. Another victim is found, and then another. When she's finally attacked in her own home, the police put her in protective custody. Throughout it all she finds romance in an unexpected place.

As the plot thickens, other characters are drawn into the middle of things. Alice's brother Will, her best friend Lola, and Lola's new boyfriend Lars all get tied into the mystery. Eventually it all comes to a head and the mystery is solved. (Obviously I'm not going to give away the details. Read for yourself!)

I really loved how the author tied everyone and everything together and wrapped it all up neatly at the end. No plots left lying open. I'm anxious to see what happens with Alice in the next book (A Killing of Angels) due out in July of this year! 

You can purchase Crossbones Yard through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Crossbones Yard? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

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Title: Death Comes to Pemberley

Author: P.D. James

Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction

Length: 291 pages

Published: 2011

Publisher: Vintage

Brief Synopsis: (Taken from Goodreads) The year is 1803, and Darcy and Elizabeth have been married for six years. There are now two handsome and healthy sons in the nursery, Elizabeth's beloved sister Jane and her husband Bingley live nearby and the orderly world of Pemberley seems unassailable. But all this is threatened when, on the eve of the annual autumn ball, the guests are preparing to retire for the night when a chaise appears, rocking down the path from Pemberley's wild woodland. As it pulls up, Lydia Wickham - Elizabeth's younger, unreliable sister - stumbles out screaming that her husband has been murdered. Inspired by a lifelong passion for the work of Jane Austen, PD James masterfully recreates the world of Pride and Prejudice, and combines it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly-crafted crime story. Death Comes to Pemberley is a distinguished work of fiction, from one of the best-loved, most- read writers of our time.

My Review:

I give this book a 5 out of 5. 

I did receive a copy of this book via a Goodreads giveaway.

I have never read Pride and Prejudice (I do plan on remedying this at some point), so I was really grateful to find that P.D. James had added a brief synopsis in the prologue of Death Comes to Pemberley, explaining who the characters were and their relationships to each other.

I really enjoyed this mystery. The novel starts out with high expectations of the annual ball, only to be cancelled when Lydia Wickham's coach comes barreling to the doors of Pemberley as she screams of murder in the woodland on a night wrought with storms. From there, the police investigation, the inquest as to cause of death, and the subsequent trial form a grand mystery. Why did Captain Denny head out into the woodland instead of along the trail? What secret is Colonel Fitzwilliam keeping?

The truth is revealed in the end, and all of the mysteries resolved. I really enjoyed the story and the fact that everything was neatly wrapped up in the end.

You can purchase Death Comes to Pemberley through Amazon in either hard copy or Kindle format. 

Have you read Death Comes to Pemberley? If so, leave a comment and let me know your thoughts! 

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. It is strictly my opinion.