I love a good page-turning book. Oh, you know what I mean! It’s those books we cannot put down, we stay awake til the wee hours of the morning, and finish it sadly because it was so good. We don’t want it to end!
The selections this month were page-turners for me. One I gave up on but came back to later. Two are very familiar authors and I am never disappointed in their work. Two are brand new authors that I loved!
Don’t Let Go by Harlan Coben
If you have ever read a Harlan Coben book, you know you are in for a wild ride! Fast-paced, constant thrills, and twists and turns!
This one opens with Daisy sauntering into a bar and enticing a gentleman to leave with her. As they pull away from the bar, a police officer follows them.
It’s a set-up and the goal is to arrest the man for DUI and this will affect his divorce and custody case. Unfortunately, the plan goes awry.
If you have ever read a Harlan Coben book, you know you are in for a wild ride! Fast-paced, constant thrills, and twists and turns!
This one opens with Daisy sauntering into a bar and enticing a gentleman to leave with her. As they pull away from the bar, a police officer follows them. It’s a set-up and the goal is to arrest the man for DUI and this will affect his divorce and custody case. Unfortunately, the plan goes awry.
After the plan fails, the circumstances catch the attention of the town which includes Nap Dumas. Nap knew Daisy and the police officer, along with several others from their high school days. Also, Nap’s twin brother, Leo, was part of the high school group. Now, several from that group have been killed.
Nap uses his influence as a police detective to dive right into this new case and try to find out what happened with Daisy and the others.
Here’s the truth- I read a lot, but I am not necessarily a fast reader. This book- I read in one day. If you are interested in police crime dramas and thrillers this book will be perfect. It does have a lot of conversation, but it works! 5 stars!
Where the River Ends by Charles Martin
An improbable meeting between Abbie and Doss creates quite a love story. She’s a Senator’s daughter/model and quite wealthy. He’s a river/fishing guide living in a mobile home park. Yet they fall in love and marry despite the Senator’s dislike of Doss and refusal to give them permission.
Abbie brings out the very best in Doss as she encourages him to pursue his gift of art and painting. Their first years of marriage are amazing.
Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it actually is all true, except for the part where Abbie is diagnosed with breast cancer and the progressive state of her cancer invades her entire body. Somewhere in the middle of that Abbie creates her top ten list of things she wants to do before the end.
This leads to a trip along the river Doss knows well, as the two of them steal away in the night to make the bucket list trip before it is too late.
Lest you think this is purely chick-lit and not worth your time (let’s face it the cover even states the novel will break your heart), I can tell you it turns out to be a page-turner with absolutely beautiful writing. I love the style of this author. He does not disappoint. Is it a sad story? Probably, but you know what is going to happen before you begin the book. I enjoyed the rich descriptive passages about the river trip and Abbie’s illness.
Try this one! I think you will be quite satisfied with the ending! 4.5 stars!
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
I will be honest about this book. I tried to read it about a year ago. I just couldn’t. The writing style is quite complicated with overly long sentences that meander and bring in minor details that are not part of the topic in a distracting way with a lot of characters, all of whom have fairly major life problems including drugs, lack of money, and complicated spouses and children.
Did that long sentence of mine make you cringe? That is the style of this book!
So, after trying about 20 pages I gave up and placed the book at the back of my next-read basket. Whenever I have worked my way to the book again I have moved it once more to the back. Recently I decided to try again.
Turns out- I loved this book! Seriously.
The story concerns a monetary trust that is to be split between four siblings – Leo, Jack, Beatrice, and Melody. The money was placed in a trust to be dealt with when the youngest sibling reaches the age of 40. Although the original amount of money was not significant, the money was invested and has greatly expanded. And now all of these people need the money.
Melody, the youngest, is the one approaching the age of 40. She has twin teenage daughters and is married to Walter. Unfortunately, their money situation is dire as the two kids are getting near college age. Melody has become an expert on shopping and finding things the girls need in second-hand shops. She is counting on the Nest to overcome the problems!
Beatrice, called Bea, is an author. In a much earlier time, she wrote stories about a character named Archie. The character was really the story of one of her brothers and the stories sold well. She is single as the book begins and living in an apartment left to her by her boyfriend who has died. Of all the siblings she needs the Nest money the least.
Jack is married to Walker and desperately needs a windfall to get out of financial trouble. He has secret credit cards that he uses and needs to pay these off before Walker discovers it. Of course, he is after his Nest money!
Then there is Leo. Leo is in pretty serious trouble as the book opens and his mother’s solution to help with his finances causes quite an uproar with the other three children. Hint: It might have something to do with the Nest.
I found this book to be mesmerizing- after I got accustomed to the long sentences and the writing style. I can’t tell you anything more about it without revealing too much, but I give it 5 stars!
One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline
Another page-turner! Chris Brennan arrives in a new town and interviews for a teaching position which will also include coaching. He seems to be a perfect candidate for the job, an absolute dream come true for the school. Over his first few days at his new position, he makes friends with colleagues and his high school students.
On the surface, everything looks fine.
But, is it? Chris seems to be planning something. He becomes particularly close with Ryan and plots to further the relationship. It seems he wants Ryan to confide in him. Chris is looking for someone that he can influence. What is he up to?
Get ready! This one will take a complete twist you won’t see coming. As the events involving the students, Chris, his interest in one of the moms, and a threat to a neighboring town all come together, you will wonder whose side Chris is really on.
This one was very entertaining and well written. I did raise an eyebrow at a scene very near the end (I thought it highly improbable), but overall I give this one 4.5 stars! This author is almost always fabulous!
The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
Another great read! This one had an unexpected twist just about the time I was ready to move on. After that, I couldn’t read it fast enough!
Amber, 26 years old, meets Daphne Parrish.
Amber’s story is that she grew up in a middle-class home, but has never been happy and she tells Daphne about her sister that died from cystic fibrosis. Daphne is a little older and married to an extremely wealthy man. And, Daphne also happens to have a sister that died from cystic fibrosis.
Amber becomes Daphne’s friend and all seems to be going well between them as they work on Daphne’s CF organization. However, the glimpses into Amber let you know quickly that she has decided she wants to be the next Mrs. Parrish.
Amber lies often to Daphne and Jackson and soon becomes Jackson’s assistant. She spends a lot of time in their homes and with their children. She plots constantly in her takeover of their lives and how she can get Jackson to divorce Daphne.
And then the twist of this book arrives. Bam! I really had begun to wonder how on earth all of this could be resolved, but the authors (who are real-life sisters) began to tell quite a new part of the story.
This turned out to be a page-turner that I read quickly! It will trick you in the beginning as being just another chick-lit book, but stick with it! You will love it! 4.5 stars
A fabulous page-turning month! Which one will you read first?
My rating system: 5 stars- perfection, the book was written well, held my attention, and I did not want it to end. 4 stars- the book was really good, but I had questions or concerns about parts of it. This might include the way it ended. 3 stars- the book was okay, but I just didn’t like it much. 2 stars- I skimmed most of it. 1 star- I could not finish it.
