BookishDramas

The Whisper by Warren Greer My rating: 3 of 5 stars 3.5 stars I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This review based on my reading is a phased review with points written as I progressed with the story. An appreciation for the author's gripping psychological thriller that immersed me in a world of suspense and intrigue that unfolds through the eyes of its characters, each of whom seem to harboring layers of secrets that propel the plot forward. The writing is sharp and succeeds in creating an atmosphere filled with tension and uncertainty with the dark and dangerous world of the illegal drug trade as its backdrop. The story follows Jasper, a youngster who is taken under the wing by a hardboiled drug dealer Glen after he lost his parents in an accident. His obligations to Glen and his attraction to Jane the wife of a drug overlord, form conflicted emotions as the story pan out. The narrative delves i...

Keep The Doctor Away by James Caine My rating: 4 of 5 stars My thanks to the BookSirens team, the publishers and the author for this review copy. This is my first book from the author. I like thrillers so this book was right in that alley. This is a well paced story, a psychological thriller with a disturbing topic. It has its share of shocks and twists with a good bouquet of character both primary and secondary. The island with the clinic is a creepy location and creates paranoia with its pre-determination for security and secrecy. It is understandable when its caters for the uber rich but still leaves a metallic taste in the mouth especially after the enticing book blurb. Lily as the primary protagonist comes across as a vulnerable but likable character with David an exact opposite. Although you can feel for the guy as he gets what is possibly a big break for his career. The way things spiral out of control with haunting vies and psycholigal tale i...

  ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐   Stars DEBUT NOVEL Book First published August 27, 2024 Blurb Never Forget. Memory is Copeland-Stark’s business. Yet after months of reconsolidation treatments at their sleek new flagship facility, Hope Nakano still has no idea what happened to her lost year, or the life she was just beginning to build with her one great love. Each procedure surfaces fragmented clues which erode Hope’s trust in her own memories, especially the ones of Luke. As inconsistencies mount, her search for answers reveals a much larger secret Copeland-Stark is determined to protect. But everyone has secrets, including Hope. The Mechanics of Memory Book Review I received the Review Copy of this book and my thanks to the team of BookSirens, the publisher and the author for the copy. All views expressed in this review are my own and based on my reading of this book. Some of the initial comments were made as I progressed in this book and I have not tried editing them as it expresses my contig...

⭐⭐⭐ ⭐   Stars Book released Blurb The gripping new book from the author of The Algorithm Will See You Now . Based on the true-life rationing of kidney dialysis in 1960s America, a medical intern in 1992 Seattle tries to leave his painful past behind, only to uncover a shocking truth of thirty years prior and the lasting, generational harm of hidden secrets... After a co-intern dies by suicide, a grieving Noah Meier commits an accidental error. In a desperate move to save his patient's life, he covertly seeks help from audacious surgical resident Marah Maddox, igniting a bond between them. When the hospital is suspiciously quick to sweep everything under the rug, Noah turns to his late father's journal for guidance and makes a chilling discovery, all while trying to stay out of the crosshairs of abusive Dr. Rankel, keen to make an example of Noah. Worse, Rankel clearly has it out for Marah as the only woman in her program. As the hospital's patriarchal power structures, and ...

  ⭐⭐⭐   Stars Book Released Blurb From Amazon.com bestselling duo Daniele Bonfanti & Valentina Kay comes a new serial novel of wild space adventure! Modifying bees, genetically and cybernetically, did not save Earth from Eco-Singularity. But the surviving few who made it to Ganymede rebooted civilization as the a covenant of humans and bee-colony superorganisms. Captain Petra, a bee colony, helms the starship Endurance—a self-sustaining ecosystem reminiscent of a Mediterranean village (plus photosynthetic hull, greenhouse main deck, and dark energy sails). With her lover, the alien flowering plant-like Wyk, and her daredevil crew, they travel via the ridiculously dangerous icebreaking process, which implies moving as thought through the mind of the Sentient Universe. In the pilot Episode – and standalone novella – “Poiesis” they encounter a derelict, monstrous ship. Petra, Wyk, and two human crewmates board guts of the ship which look like actual guts, cyber-zombies, a mul...

  ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐   Stars Blurb Four went in, one came out. It was meant to be their last hurrah. Four friends spend their senior Spring Break of high school hiking the Yosemite forest. Alone for one week where they can prove that, despite their cracked relationships, they’re still a team. And maybe recapture some of the magic that brought them together in the first place. But something went wrong. One by one they’re murdered, until only one survivor emerges from the forest. He says he’s innocent. The evidence says he’s not. Now he’s on trial for the deaths of his friends, fighting for his life and freedom. It doesn’t matter that he loved them fiercely, one as a friend, one as an ex, and one that still tangles his soul. The only thing that matters is his final words weren’t “I love you,” they were “I’m sorry.” Told from past/present perspective, ONLY THE TREES KNOW is a story of untangling friendships: lies, misunderstandings, broken promises, and twisted love. Only The Trees Know Revie...

  ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐ Stars Book Blurb How far would you go to protect what you love? He’s handsome, charming, and the city’s beloved Mayor. He’s also a cheating husband. But is he a killer? When a surfer discovers the gruesome remains of council staffer Lauren Ellis in sand dunes just metres from Lord Mayor Andrew Ashley’s beachside home, rumours of his close relationship with the victim quickly begin to circulate. Andrew’s secret affair with local newspaper reporter Elle Nolan is proof he can be an unfaithful husband – but is he also guilty of murder? As the search for answers continues, Andrew refuses to tell police where he was the night of Lauren’s death. When Andrew reaches out to Elle from police lock-up begging her to provide an alibi for the night in question, she quickly realises that instead of just reporting the story, she’s about to become irrevocably entangled in it. The Alibi Review I received an Advanced Review Copy of this book and my thanks to the team of BookSirens and the aut...

⭐⭐⭐ Stars Book Blurb The most dangerous threats of all are those you’re blind to… Charlie Hart and Mitch Saunders’ new case couldn’t come at a worse time. Thomas Weihle continues to torment them both from behind bars and the stress of testifying against him is taking its toll. Things go from bad to worse when District Attorney Gerty Kolacsko’s sister disappears without a trace. With Gerty’s focus divided, they risk the unthinkable—letting that monster go free. Mitch and Charlie have no choice but to take the case before Retrieval, Inc. is even up and running, and Leah’s perilous situation triggers their worst fears. Someone close to her is trying to kill her. In poor health and completely blindsided, she doesn’t know who to trust or where to hide. Can she get to safety before her body gives out? Meanwhile, Charlie is hiding a secret that will change everything. This time she can’t run, but she’ll be damned if she’s trapped again—even if Mitch refuses to let her go. The Retrieval, Inc. ...

⭐⭐⭐   . 5   Book Blurb Is fame something worth dying for? When social media influencer Cassie hires Sydney to catch her stalker, Sydney thinks it's a straightforward case. But as she delves deeper, Sydney discovers a tangled web of deceit and jealousy surrounding Cassie's life. With Cassie's safety on the line, Sydney must navigate the dangerous dark side of social media to uncover the truth before it's too late. Will Sydney solve the case in time to save Cassie's life? An Influential Murder Review in Amazon https://www.amazon.in/review/RN9VM2PEMIWSD Close to 3.5 stars for me.  The best part of the book is the time taken to complete it. At just over 160 pages it is an eminently short reading and can actually be completed in a single extended session. While juggling over 30 books, I still completed this in 4 days of spaced out reading.  The story line would sound familiar with incidents like this becoming a part of our daily lives. This book at heart is a whodunit an...

BLURB A nail-biting suspenseful mystery of betrayal, murder, lies and envy. Lexi felt so betrayed that she snapped. And it changed the entire course of her life. 28-year-old Lexi could have had it all, if it weren’t for that fateful night 10 years ago when she was charged with murder. Now she’s back in her close-knit hometown, Garrison, with a tarnished reputation and a criminal record to match. Her sole mission is to shed her past and learn to live her new life. After all, she already served her time. She spent a decade grieving over what happened to her best friend, even if the details are unclear. But now that private investigator Zac Booth is in town, her plan of moving on is completely derailed. He’s supposedly in town looking into a disappearance from over ten years ago. Lexi doesn’t see how she could possibly help. She doesn’t want anything to do with another mystery, even if Zac is undeniably attractive. In fact, he’s the first attractive man she’s seen in a decade who wasn’t t...

From the Back Cover What would YOU do for family? When F.B.I. agent Emily Gayle’s partner is brutally murdered, Emily forsakes her career at the bureau and returns home to the North Carolina mountains to care for her disabled father. Guilt ridden over leaving her partner alone to die, Emily takes a job as an end-of-life caregiver. Deep in Appalachia, Jude Courtland is desperate for a fast buck to pay for his grandmother’s chemotherapy. Together with his brother Crispin and cousin Devo, the trio takes to hijacking insulin delivery vans and selling the stolen drugs on the black market. When Emily is assigned to cancer patient Hazel Courtland, the line separating right and wrong begins to blur. As the hijackings escalate and turn violent, Emily’s intuition hones in on startling evidence she can no longer ignore. Struggling with the truth, Emily is torn between her conscience and her loyalty to a dying woman. With her own life in jeopardy, Emily’s forced to take a side. Right or wrong, the...