ARCs

I joined Netgalley many moons ago, and have had the joy, privilege, and pleasure of reviewing some of the best books out there. I hate leaving a negative review, and rarely do. Even if it is not my favorite, I will leave something somewhat positive since someone else might love it! I will just about always recommend the books that I select because, well… I chose to read that particular book, and it is in the genre that I love. Most are mysteries and thrillers, and then there are the contemporary fiction thrown into the mix.

Right now is an exciting time in the life me. I have several books to preview, and two are from my favorite authors and book series. The first is Down a Dark Road by Linda Castillo. This is the latest in the Kate Burkholder series, and is a personal favorite. If you have not had the opportunity to read the books set in Painters Mill, an Amish community, with Chief Burkholder (who is a former Amish woman), you are missing out. This may be a peaceful Amish country in Ohio, but it is not without its own gritty, grisly crime. I remember reading the first book, Pray for Silence, and being amazed. I recommended the book to everyone I knew and bought it on kindle, hardback, audio, every way I could get my hands on it. Now, others did not always agree with me. They thought it was too graphic, so if you do not like that sort of thing, this may not be for you, but if you do… hang in there with me.

I am not going to write a review for the previous books, maybe another time, but soon I will be writing a review for the newest in the series. I have already started the intro, and I can just tell it is going to be amazing. When you are working and all you can think about is reading… you know you have a terrific book, and maybe a slight reading problem.

I also have the joy of reading the newest Rizzoli and Isles book, I Know a Secret by Tess Gerritsen. She has become one of my favorite authors. Not one of my favorite Female authors… No, she is one of my favorite authors. I think it is great when some of your top authors contain many women. Karin Slaughter, Tess Gerritsen, Linda Castillo, Val McDermid. The list could really go on and on. What is amazing is that these women are not writing frilly “chick” books. They are writing graphic crime novels that can make even the most un-squeamish people squirm.

I know a Secret is the latest installment from the Rizzoli and Isles series, as I said before. This book series has been made into a powerful TV show that showed intelligent women being strong in a male dominated world. As an Detective and ME, Rizzoli and Isles show that women can do anything a man can do, and maybe do it better.

I am so excited that I have the chance to read each of these books. I will post a blurb of each one with the description coming directly from Goodreads.

Down a Dark Road
by Linda Castillo

Hardcover, 320 pages
Expected publication: July 11th 2017 by Minotaur Books

In this electrifying new thriller in the New York Times bestselling series, a convicted murderer is on the run and Chief of Police Kate Burkholder must catch him before he strikes again.

Eight years ago Joseph King was convicted of murdering his wife and sentenced to life in prison. He was a “fallen” Amish man and, according to local law enforcement, a known drug user with a violent temper. Now King has escaped, and he’s headed for Painters Mill.

News of a murderer on the loose travels like wildfire and putting Chief of Police Kate Burkholder and her team of officers on edge. A nightmare scenario becomes reality when King shows up with a gun and kidnaps his five children from their Amish uncle’s house. He’s armed and desperate with nothing left to lose.

Fearing for the safety of the children, Kate leaps into action, but her frantic search for a killer leads her into an ambush. When King releases her unharmed, asking her to prove his innocence, she begins to wonder whether the police are hiding something, and she embarks on her own investigation to discover the truth. ~ Goodreads

I know a Secret
by Tess Gerritsen

Hardcover, 336 pages
Expected publication: August 22nd 2017 by Ballantine Books

In the twelfth gripping novel featuring Jane Rizzoli and Maura Isles, the crime-solving duo—featured in the smash-hit TNT series Rizzoli & Isles—are faced with the gruesomely staged murder of a horror film producer.

The crime scene is unlike any that Detective Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles have ever before encountered. The woman lies in apparently peaceful repose on her bed, and Maura finds no apparent cause of death, but there is no doubt the woman is indeed dead. The victim’s eyes have been removed and placed in the palm of her hand, a gesture that echoes the terrifying films she produces. Is a crazed movie fan reenacting scenes from those disturbing films?

When another victim is found, again with no apparent cause of death, again with a grotesquely staged crime scene, Jane and Maura realize the killer has widened his circle of targets. He’s chosen one particular woman for his next victim, and she knows he’s coming for her next. She’s the only one who can help Jane and Maura catch the killer.

But she knows a secret. And it’s a secret she’ll never tell. ~ Goodreads

As you can tell, these promise to be reads that will sizzle this summer and only get hotter as the publication date draws near. I will keep you posted as I read!