Sinister Secrets by Traci Hunter Abramson, Clair M. Poulson and Paige Edwards

 

Traci Hunter Abramson: Secrets of St. Augustine

FBI Special Agent Doug Valdez is in France looking for money launderers. The last thing he expects is to find a young girl fleeing for her life or the deadly game of cat and mouse that ensues.

Paige Edwards: In Plain Sight

Jaclyn Girard was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and now she’s caught in the middle of a deadly investigation. With danger mounting, she must work alongside FBI operative Cody Ackert if she hopes to survive.

Clair M. Poulson: Hounded

Recently retired Army Ranger Renn Huitt has found the perfect job. Working for Bob, a private investigator nearing retirement, should be easy. But Bob has put a lot of people behind bars—people who hold a grudge. And now they are coming for him.

 * Amazon * Goodreads * Deseret Book *

Secrets of St. Augustine: 5 stars

If you have read any of this author's books, Agent Doug Valdez will be familiar to you.  He's been in quite a few books so his character was familiar to me.  Even if you haven't read about him before, his general backstory is covered so you will have a good idea just how awesome he is.  This story is action packed and fast moving starting in France and then through Europe.  Poor Layla.  The history of her short life so far will break your heart.  Doug was the perfect person to cross paths with her and save her.  I loved this story!  (no romance here, but definitely love!)

Hounded:  3.5 stars

Author Clair Poulson is going at knowing his terminology and the way the police process works.  His stories always sound believable and reasonable.  There was a lot going on in this story, and there were a lot of people involved.  I didn't have trouble keeping them all straight, I just had trouble connecting to the characters and to any sort of emotion.  I liked the strong men who had strong women helping them though.  That felt good.  (mild romance)

In Plain Sight:  5 stars

This story was such a good balance of all things emotional and suspenseful.  I loved the dual perspective from both Cody and Jaclyn.  Jaclyn's family was brought into the story and it really made things feel homey and gave that touch of realistic as they all shared a cramped apartment for a bit.  The food, the sleeping, the bathroom.  There was plenty of action and tension to keep me reading, anxious and invested all the way through.  My favorite of the three novellas in this book.  (This novella held the most romance.)

Content:  peril, violence (running, chasing, gunshots, fighting).

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

On Tour With Short Investigations by Clair M. Poulson + $25 and Book Giveaway!

In the sleepy town of Heber, a strange 911 call is made to report an unthinkable crime: someone has murdered a woman . . . and her body has been found in Rhett Ketchum’s barn. Rhett, a well-known rodeo cowboy, is placed firmly at the top of the suspect list—the only problem is, he’s innocent. As officers search tirelessly for the evidence needed to lock him up, Rhett takes matters into his own hands.

Max and Patches Fisher are the father-daughter duo behind the unconventional PI firm Short Investigations, and they agree to undertake the task of proving Rhett’s innocence. Soon the list of suspects begins to grow, and Rhett feels a glimmer of hope—and an undeniable attraction to Patches. But when the officers on the case become targets themselves, it seems they may be the ones in need of protection. As events take a deadly turn, it’s up to Max and Patches to uncover the truth before time runs out.

 * Goodreads * Amazon * Deseret Book *

I've been reading Clair Poulson books for a long time now so I know exactly what I'm going to get when I pick up one of his books.  I'm sure my reviews all sound about the same but that says something about his consistency.  

One thing I know going into Clair Poulson books is that the characters aren't going to overwhelm me with personality.  I won't fall in love with them.  Any type of romantic starts to a relationship are going to be hard for me to feel.  These books are more plot driven than character driven.  But I always know this going in so it's all good.

This was a great murder mystery.  Actually, it started out with one mystery and ended with three!  There were so many things swirling around in this story which had me interested from beginning to end.  The list of suspects grew and I was right there, suspecting them all!  This is the consistent part I was talking about before.  Clair Poulson knows how to write up a good, interesting mystery.  I actually think this one might be one of my favorites.  

Content:  some violence, death (described in some detail), peril.  LDS fiction so some things specific to that religion are made (not drinking, smoking) but nothing preachy.  Characters offer a prayer for help.

- I received a complimentary copy of this book.  All opinions expressed are my own.

Schedule:

*August 20^th: http://mybookaday.com/blog/

*August 21^st: https://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/, http://empowermoms.net/, https://www.rockinbookreviews.com/

*August 22^nd: http://sweetlymadejustforyou.com/blog/, http://lifeiswhatitscalled.blogspot.com/, https://rachellechristensen.com/blog/

*August 23^rd: http://bonnieharris.blogspot.com/

*August 24^th: https://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/, http://brooklynberrydesigns.com/, http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Deadly Inheritance by Clair M. Poulson + $25 and Book Giveaway!

Andi Buckner and her twin brother, Bolden, have had enough of the rough streets of Detroit. When they can no longer bear the drugs and abuse within their home, the twins make their escape: Bolden to the military, and Andy to wherever the wind takes her. With few belongings and no specific destination, Andi eventually finds herself across the table from a kind old man in a quaint café in Spring Hollow, Montana. Louis “Gramps” Granger, a retired cop, takes Andi under his wing. Andi soon finds a peace she’s never known as she roots herself in the small town, working at the café and living in a cabin on Gramp’s property. But her peace is short-lived. . . When an enemy from Gramp’s past murders the old man, Andi’s need to see justice served draws her into an investigation far beyond her own abilities. But hundreds of miles away, her twin brother senses her despair and heeds her silent plea for help. Andi is soon reunited with her brother as well as with Bolden’s friend, private investigator Mason Crowther. Together, the trio delves into a mystery and soon discovers that the murderer’s motive goes far deeper than any of them imagined. With the truth almost within reach, they find themselves directly in the path of a killer who will stop at nothing to finish what they’ve started. .

 * Amazon * Goodreads * Deseret Book *

Clair Poulson has a gift for writing and telling a story.  I've read so many of his books but I think this one is my favorite of his last few.  

Andi is such a tough girl.  All through this book I though to myself that if I were the main character in this book I would be dead.  Andi knows martial arts, is a deadly shot with a gun, has nerves of steel, can keep a car from flipping with her master driving skills, knows how to use a knife and did I mention those nerves of steel?  Yeah, I'm nothing like that.  I'd be dead.  Twenty times over.  Andi deserves a cape.  And maybe the ability to fly.

I enjoyed the pacing of this book.  The forward momentum was always there and I was interested the whole time.  There were so many bad guys, so many plots and so many different angles that just when I thought I had things figured out, I had to think again.  That's a fantastic thing in a mystery/suspense book!

Content:  Some violence, LDS Fiction (characters are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints so there is talk of things specific to that religion- God, praying)

-I received a copy of this book from the publisher.  A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own.

Schedule: 

*April 3rd: http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/, http://rockinbookreviews.com/, http://bonnieharris.blogspot.com/

*April 4th: http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, http://empowermoms.net/, http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/

*April 5th: http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/, http://ilovetoreadandreviewbooks.blogspot.com/, http://melsshelves.blogspot.com/

*April 6th: http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/, http://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://brooklynberrydesigns.com/

*April 7th: http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/, http://sweetlymadejustforyou.com/blog/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Silent Sting by Clair M. Poulson + $25 Giveaway

Catastrophe is looming over the Central Valley of California. The honeybees, vital to the economy of this agricultural epicenter, are dying at an unprecedented rate. The U.S. government is desperate for answers, and researchers at the University of California–Riverside are tasked with providing them. But when the professors assigned to the investigation seem to be systematically dying under mysterious circumstances, it becomes clear that there is something sinister at play. Following the murders of her mentors, it’s up to entomology student Tiana Lambrose to move forward with the research. Special Agent Stu Whiteleather, part of a team of FBI agents assigned to assist in the investigation, is immediately drawn to the lovely entomologist. Together, they discover a breed of bees engineered to be killing machines, which, despite Tiana’s expertise, are like nothing she’s seen before. The question is, who could possibly have the sophisticated technology to engineer these specialized insects and for what motive? The perpetrator will stop at nothing to keep investigators from finding the answer. As threats to Tiana’s life escalate, Stu must battle an unknown foe to protect the woman for whom he has come to care before she becomes the next victim.

 * Amazon * Goodreads * Deseret Book *

Whooee, I loved the premise of this book.  What a great idea!  Seriously.  Honey bees are dying at an alarming rate and then someone finds a drone bee that is made to kill people.  It has a camera on it so the operator can see to fly it and it has deadly poison on it's stinger.  Creepy crazy, right?

The beginning of this book pulled me right in.  Immediately I was in the thick of the honey bee problem and feeling the desperation and magnitude of the situation.  As the book progressed, I'll admit that it lost a bit of it's appeal.  I'm not sure exactly where things started to slip for me, but it all started feeling a bit off.  A few of my peeves are nit picky (the character's name- Stu Whiteleather?  Really?  uugh.) (the girls sound like boys) and some are more valid and less nit picky, I think.  The conversations when read aloud are sometimes stilted and not how regular younger people would talk, especially in extreme situations.  The main relationship lacked depth.

I felt like there were situations and scenes that were just sort of randomly thrown in for the sake of making it more, I don't know, exciting?  Or maybe just more?  It didn't feel necessarily realistic- details were glossed over.  And the ending?  No.  Just no.

Having said that, I would give this book a solid 3/5 stars.  Like I said, the premise was fantastic and I loved the whole idea even if the execution was lacking a bit in parts for me. It gave me creeps to imagine how easily something like this really could happen and how devastating it would be.  I grew up in California and I know someone who deals with honey bee's for a living.  This is a chilling scenario to think about.

I love that the cover is a good representation of what is inside.

Content:  Some violence and murders.  Clean.  LDS fiction.

*March 28th: http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/, http://www.bonnieharris.blogspot.com/, http://www.littlelightdesigncollective.com/ 

*March 29th: http://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://www.rockinbookreviews.com/, http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/

*March 30th: http://www.singinglibrarianbooks.com/index.html, http://reviewsfromtheheart.blogspot.com/, http://www.wishfulendings.com/

*March 31st: http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/, http://melsshelves.blogspot.com/

*April 1st: http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/, http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/, http://www.blogginboutbooks.com/

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Portrait of Lies by Clair M. Poulson + $25 and Book Giveaway

It was a robbery gone bad, or so they said. For Detective Trey Shotwell, the murder of his mother, a prominent artist, was the catalyst for setting aside his own artistic aspirations to pursue a career in law enforcement—despite the opposition of his father, also a famous painter. When he agrees to attend an art auction featuring his father's work, the cruise ship locale provides the relaxation that Trey needs—and when he meets stunning fellow passenger Ariah Stanton, the undeniable chemistry they share is an unexpected bonus.

But the tranquil voyage quickly turns into a nightmare at sea. The Shotwell paintings have disappeared, and amidst the chaotic hunt for the thief, a murderer is free to roam the halls of the ship. Ariah finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, and miraculously escapes the murderer—for now. But another victim is not so lucky...

The crime is eerily reminiscent of the death of Trey's mother so many years before. But this time, the young detective has the resources he needs to track the killer. As the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together, they paint the chilling picture of a sinister plot years in the making. In a manhunt that takes him from the high seas of the Pacific to the wilderness of Australia, Trey will stop at nothing to solve the crime and protect the woman he loves.

 * Goodreads * Amazon * Deseret Book *

Portrait of Lies is suspense just like I like it- just enough to keep you interested and on the edge of your seat but not too scary.  Clair Poulsen is one of my favorite authors in the LDS suspense genre.  His books are clean and have a great flow to them.  I really enjoyed this one!

This book is primary set on a cruise ship and revolves around some paintings.  There is a whole cast of characters and I suspected them all.  Even though there were so many characters in this book I never felt as though I didn't know who was who.  I had a clear picture of each character in my head and they all came into the story in a way that was easy to remember.  That is always a huge thing in a book like this.

Trey is a character that is easy to root for.  He is strong yet kind.  He knows what he wants and works hard to get it.  Ariah is less of a standout in this book, more needy than anything but a good contrast to Trey.

This book is an LDS suspense.  The characters mention their religion and the book will say they talked about religious things but nothing is detailed or specific.  There are some violent things, murders and such things that are usually found in suspense novels.  Other than that, this book is squeaky clean- no swearing or sexual content.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

• August 10th: http://mybookaday.blogspot.com/, http://gettingyourreadonaimeebrown.blogspot.com/
• August 11th: http://booksaresanity.blogspot.com/, http://www.wishfulendings.com/
• August 12th: http://lisaisabookworm.blogspot.com/, http://www.bonnieharris.blogspot.com/, http://littlelightdesigncollective.com/
• August 13th: http://ldsandlovinit.blogspot.com/, http://melsshelves.blogspot.com/, http://heidi-reads.blogspot.com/
• August 14th: http://katiescleanbookcollection.blogspot.com/, http://ilovetoreadandreviewbooks.blogspot.com/, http://www.rockinbookreviews.com/, http://www.rockinbookreviews.com/