Xepherus Reads

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,       When I think of thrillers, I think of great writing, gut-punch twists, and dynamic settings. Did The Sanatorium meet those standards? Let's find out.      The Sanatorium is written by Sarah Pearse and is the first book in the now three-book series. It is published by Penguin Books and was a Reese Witherspoon pick.     In it, we are introduced to Elin Warner, a detective on leave after a traumatizing case almost killed her. She is on her way to the posh hotel, Le Sommet, in the Crans-Montana area of Switzerland. There, she will be reunited with her estranged brother, Isaac, to celebrate his engagement to their longtime friend, Laure.    But the hotel has a past that has been kept hidden from the public. It is a past that begins a new body count, as staff begin to turn up dead. And with a snowstorm, avalanche, and cunning killer on the loose, can Elin defy the odds to solve ...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,    Lie to Me is a stand-alone novel written by J.T. Ellison and it is published by MIRA Books. In this twisty mystery, we are introduced to Ethan Montclair, a struggling author. After writing the book of his career he has been mainly speaking at events and signing autographs. His latest novel is at a stand-still, but his wife Sutton, an author in her own right, has begun to outsell his works. They are recovering from the death of their baby boy and tensions have risen within their home. One morning Ethan wakes to discover a note from Sutton stating that she has left and for him to not look for her. He is at first not worried since she has disappeared before, only to be found at a friend's home. But the hours tick by and Ethan fears that Sutton's growing depression may have led her to harm herself. He calls the police, summoning Officer Holly Graham to the scene. She begins to investigate the case under the supervision of her su...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,       Ugly Young Thing is book two in Jennifer Jaynes' Strangers trilogy. It is published by Thomas and Mercer, an Amazon imprint. In this novel of suspense, we return to Grand Trespass, Louisiana, and the life of Allie Seacrest. After returning from being on the run for the better part of a year, Allie has nowhere to go or no one to ask for help. When she is found in her abandoned childhood home by police, she is remanded to the home of Miss Bitty. Bitty is a local legend, having helped numerous people out of many bad situations as a life coach and foster mother. She takes a liking to Allie immediately, seeing something in the sixteen-year-old that most do not.  Acclimating herself back into society is hard for Allie. She is recognized as the daughter and sister of local murderers, which leaves Allie feeling that her life will never be normal. However, Allie is not alone a...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,        Never Smile at Strangers is written by Jennifer Jaynes and is published by Thomas and Mercer, an Amazon imprint. In it, we are brought down to Louisiana to Grand Trespass, a troubled community in a panic after a young woman disappears after arguing with her boyfriend. Her best friend, Haley Landry was the last one to see her and she is worried foul play might be involved. Her co-worker, Erica Duvall, is a budding mystery writer that is using her surroundings to write her tale. But Erica is dealing with a missing person herself; her mother. As the days creep by and the authorities and search parties find no trace of the missing girl, Haley continues to search on her own for clues. But in a community like Grand Trespass, there are few bright spots.   Across town, the man responsible for the current wave of fear is dealing with a fright of his own: his sister. Fifteen-year-old Allie is trouble with a cap...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,       Don't Say a Word is written by Jennifer Jaynes, and it is published by Thomas and Mercer, an Amazon imprint. In this tense novel, we are introduced to twenty-two-year-old Allie Callahan. She has come a long way from her troubled teen years, adopted by her foster mother, Bitty Callahan. Bitty was successful in turning around Allie's life at sixteen, and she has continued to applaud her resilience. With a mother and brother both dead, Allie works through her mental instability with anti-depressants. She vows to keep herself together for her four-year-old son, Sammy.  Allie and Bitty take in foster children regularly and are preparing to handle their incoming charges, Carrie and Zoe Parish.   When the sisters arrive at Bitty's doorstep, Allie does her best to make the pre-teen girls feel welcome.  The twins...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,       When  I Was You is written by Minka Kent and is published by Thomas & Mercer, an Amazon imprint. In this crazy ride of a book, we are introduced to Brienne Dougray. After being brutally attacked outside of her office one night, she has since become a recluse in her family's sprawling home. Her only contact is with the next-door neighbor, Enid, who is about the only member of her social group nowadays. She has a tenant that rents a couple of rooms from her, but their interaction is limited due to his busy schedule as a physician. Brienne has no mystery in her life. Brienne is alone and relatively boring. Then one day Brienne receives an envelope with her name on it. Inside is a key and a welcome letter from the Harcourt Apartments. When she inquires as to why the key was sent, she is told that she had been at the Harcourt previously finalizing her new living space. One problem. Brienne has never been to the H...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,              In the Clearing is book three in the Tracy Crosswhite detective series by Robert Dugoni. It is published by Thomas and Mercer, an imprint of Amazon. It brings us to the heart of two mysteries; one in the present day and one begun forty years prior. In 1976 a young Native American girl named Kimi Kanasket disappeared while walking home from her job as a waitress. Officer Buzz Almond worked with a search party to find the girl, whose death was concluded as a suicide. He knew that there was more to her case than a simple suicide.  Forty years later, with his funeral behind her, Buzz's daughter, Jenny, has found the Kanasket file in her father's home office. She is reunited with her old academy friend, Tracy Crosswhite at the funeral, and asks her to look into the disappearance of Kimi Kanasket.  Meanwhile, Tracy's A-Team is looking into the apparent self-defense shooting de...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,       I See You is Mary Burton's second book of her Criminal Profiler series. In it, we are introduced to a disgraced reporter, Nikki McDonald. She is on the hunt for the story that will re-launch her career. But when a tip leads her to the remains of a long-dead girl, she may be in over her head. Enter Special Agent Zoe Spencer, whose job is to painstakingly reconstruct a likeness from skeletal remains. She is diligent in her work and soon the remains are identified as Marsha Prince, the daughter of a wealthy business owner, missing for many years. Prince's sister, Hadley Foster, had since moved on with her life, married and with a teenage daughter, Skylar.   Soon Zoe is reunited with a former lover, Detective William Vaughan, as the two are assigned the case. To complicate things a serial killer has seemingl...

  Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,        Ashes to Ashes is book one in Tami Hoag's popular Kovac and Liska crime thriller series of books. The edition I read was the first edition hardcover novel published by Penguin Random House. In this novel, we are introduced to former FBI agent Kate Conlin, currently a witness advocate. She is tasked with fifteen-year-old Angie DiMarco, a witness to the serial killer the Cremator, incinerating his latest victim. The young girl's bravado hides a troubling childhood and even worse present lifestyle.    Things are even more complicated when Kate's old flame, Agent John Quinn, from her FBI years shows up to work the case. The Cremator's latest victim appears to be the daughter of a wealthy businessman, Peter Bondurant. This gathers a wealth of lawyers and politicos into the mix. As she works with Detectives Sam Kovac and Nikki Liska ( 9th Girl ), the killer seems to be one step ahead of their investigation....