Book Review: The Truth About the Accident

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Publication Date: January 2, 2024
• Author: Nicole Trope
• Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
• Page Count: 256

⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Blurb

From the author of The Family Across the Street comes another gripping psychological thriller about a family in crisis, a marriage at breaking point, and how secrets can be deadly. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell and The Housemaid .

I gaze at my husband’s once handsome face, so still and pale in the hospital bed. The doctors say I should keep talking. He might be able to hear me even after the terrible accident that left him fighting for his life. But all I have to whisper to my husband is  I know what you did.

Every day I wave my husband Damon off with a kiss and a smile, drive our precious children to school, and make sure our house is pristine before preparing a delicious meal. I pretend I’m not filled with fury that he once nearly destroyed our perfect life. It’s important to carry on as normal.

That is, until the accident.

My husband was hit by a car. It was pouring with rain. Nobody saw what happened. But the police are asking questions…

Do they know about the terrible argument we had that day?

Do they know about the text message I sent, telling someone to Delete everything?

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My Thoughts & Opinions

After reading a glowing review of The Truth About the Accident, I jumped at the chance to read and review the novel. The old saying, “different strokes for different folks” rang true for me with this book. While I did enjoy the first few chapters, the novel slowly devolved into something that I couldn’t wait to be over. Still, I managed to persevere and finish the book. After all, the narrative did have some interesting plot twists.

The story unfolds through the three main characters’ points of view. Each view dovetailing each other. It did get a little confusing and tedious at times, especially when the timelines changed. Perhaps if the characters were more refined, I wouldn’t have had that problem of identifying who’s who in the novel.

The narrative follows a whodunit theme laced with family drama. I suspect that the family drama was supposed to add an air of suspense. It did, to a point. But after a while it got frustrating, especially when those women, who are supposed to know better, kept repeating the same mistakes. And with a lukewarm finale, I was left feeling like there was something missing in the whole scheme of things. Three stars.

I received a physical copy of the novel from Grand Central Publishing. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

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Book Review: Would I Lie to You

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Publication Date: February 22, 2022
• Author: Aliya Ali-Afzal
• Genre: Women’s Fiction
• Page Count: 483

Description and Review

“Oh what a tangled web we weave. When first we practice to deceive.” Sir Walter Scott

Faiza and Tom appeared to have the perfect marriage and family. They lived in an affluent area, had a beautiful home and could afford to send their three children to private schools. And Faiza didn’t have to work. Instead, Faiza spent her days volunteering at exclusive charities, transporting her children, dining and shopping at high end restaurants and boutiques. And Faiza could indulge in the regular spa treatments with friends in those elite social circles that most other women of modest means would envy.

Being a person of color, Faiza desperately wanted to fit in with the other ladies of social status. After all, social status is what made you noticed, right? So Faiza would secretly withdraw money from her and Tom’s emergency fund for what most people would call extravagant purchases. But Faiza told herself that she would eventually replenish the fund. After all, her husband Tom had a well paying job. Until that one day he didn’t… No problem, Faiza thought. They had enough to tide them over until Tom found another job. But when Faiza went to check their account balance, they had nothing. Faiza had spent all of their emergency fund money. Faiza was shocked and did not dare want to tell Tom what she had done for fear of him leaving. Faiza feared for her marriage, and she had six weeks to make things right before Tom’s severance ran out.

Would I Lie to You is Aliya Ali-Afzal’s debut novel. Hard to believe because her writing style is so captivating.

The characters are well developed and I enjoyed how Ali-Afzal captured the trials and tribulations of an interracial marriage along with the stigma of being a person of color in a caucasian dominant environment. It’s a sensitive topic but being a person of color myself, I could relate to the feelings of Faiza and how she tried to fit in.

The plot is intriguing and it takes the reader down a rabbit hole of desperation. What would be the cost of rectifiying all the wrongs? Family? Marriage? Social Status? All of the above?

Would I Lie to You is an outstanding novel that is sure to resonate with a wide range of readers. Five masterful stars.

I received a physical finished copy of the book from Grand Central Publishing. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

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Book Review: Thick as Thieves

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Publication Date: March 16, 2021
• Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
• Author: Sandra Brown
• Page Count: 377

Description (Goodreads)

Twenty years ago in the dead of night, four seemingly random individuals pulled the ultimate heist and almost walked away with half a million dollars. But by daybreak, their plan had been shot to hell. One of them was in the hospital. One was in jail. One was dead. And one got away with it.

Arden Maxwell, the daughter of the man who disappeared all those years ago — presumably with the money, after murdering his accomplice — has never reconciled with her father’s abandonment of her and her sister. After countless personal setbacks she decides to return to her family home near mysterious Caddo Lake, and finally get answers to the many questions that torment her. Little does she know, two of her father’s co-conspirators — a war hero and a corrupt district attorney — are watching her every move.

Ledge Burnet, a rebellious teen at the time of the heist, evaded his jail sentence by enlisting in the army. Now he’s back in town to care for his ailing father — and to keep his eye on the county’s corrupt district attorney, whom he suspects was the real murderer. Although the two are bound to silence because of the crime they committed together, each has spent years waiting and hoping that the other will make a fatal misstep. But the arrival of their elusive accomplice’s daughter, Arden, who may know more about the missing money than she’s telling, sets them both on red alert. She ignites Ledge’s determination to expose the D.A.’s treachery… and sparks a desire he wishes to deny. 

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Review

Twenty years ago, four people conspired to pull off a daring heist. With insider information, the heist snagged half a million dollars, left one person in jail, left another person dead, left a third person in the hospital, and left the last person missing in action.

Arden Maxwell who has been away twenty years, decidedly returns to her hometown to raise her expectant child. Arden expected the rumor mongering among the townsfolk upon her return. After all, her father, Joe Maxwell was the infamous suspect gone missing in that daring and fateful heist twenty years earlier.

As Arden attempts to settle into her old home, she becomes hyper aware that she is being watched. Spurred on by her own curiosity into the disappearance of her father, Arden vigorously starts her own investigation. If she only knew doing so would jeopardize her life and the lives of others.

Told in multiple points of view, Thick as Thieves is an absorbing read filled with interesting and complex characters. Combined with an outstanding plot that contains enough twists and turns, Thick as Thieves is a thrilling novel of epic proportions. Five monumental stars.

I received a complimentary review copy from Grand Central Publishing. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

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Book Review: Blink of an Eye

• Publication Date: February 2, 2021
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Author(s): Iris Johansen, Roy Johansen
• Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
• Page Count: 343

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Description (Goodreads)

A #1 New York Times bestselling author and an Edgar Award winner team up to deliver this gripping new novel featuring investigator Kendra Michaels—whose observational skills are worthy of a modern-day Sherlock Holmes.

Delilah Winter is one of the hottest pop stars on the planet, so how in the world was she kidnapped right in the middle of a show at the famous Hollywood Bowl? If anyone can figure it out, it’s Dr. Kendra Michaels, who works with local and federal authorities on only the most impossible cases. Blind for the first twenty years of her life until a revolutionary surgical procedure allowed her to regain her sight, Kendra uses her powers of observation—honed during her years in the dark—to detect what other investigators don’t. She agrees to lead the race to rescue the young singer before time runs out.

Joined by Jessie Mercado, the singer’s former bodyguard and a military hero, Kendra closes in on the hideout location but not before casualties mount up. Desperate for leads, Kendra must set aside her personal feelings when agent-for-hire Adam Lynch also volunteers his special skills to aid in the search.

But as the abductor’s true purpose becomes clear, the trio uncover a plot they never could have imagined—leading to a showdown they won’t soon forget.

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Review

Blink of an Eye is my first read by the mother and son team of Iris and Roy Johansen. Although it is the eighth in the Kendra Michaels series, I had no problem reading it as a standalone.

Kendra Michaels is a gifted and talented investigator whose uncanny power of observation has immersed her in some of the most complex FBI cases. Kendra and her friend Jessie Mercado, a former military hero, are often at the center of crime scene investigations. So when pop star Delilah Winters (Dee) is kidnapped, her good friend and former bodyguard Jessie is at the forefront to apprehend the kidnapper. Both Jessie and Kendra play starring roles that lead to the rescue of Dee and the apprehension of the criminals.

Blink of an Eye is an immersive novel that reads like a movie. I got caught in the moment and felt like I was at a the theater watching the mystery unfold. The suspense will get you and the action will pull you in.

The cast of Kendra, Jessie and Adam Lynch are as dynamic as the story. There is enough banter between them that provides the needed break from all of the suspense.

Inasmuch as I really enjoyed the novel, I was a little disappointed that the mastermind behind the kidnapping wasn’t as elusive as he or she should have been. The mastermind could easily be determined well before the end of the book. If it weren’t for that “flaw,” it would have been a five star read for me.

I received a hard copy of the book from Grand Central Publishing. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

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