The Book of Essie

The Book of Essie by Meghan Maclean Weir

Publish Date: June 12 2018

Read Date: 07/19/2018 - 07/21/2018

Esther Ann Hicks (Essie ) is the 17 year old daughter of an Evangelical Preacher on a TV reality show, and the youngest of 6 children of the Hicks family.  Due to the faith of the family, she is strictly regulated and regimented in her daily activities and lifestyle. Every part of her life is broadcast as she is followed by cameras and voice monitors throughout her house. The only privacy she has from the cameras is at school, since they can film only school functions , not on campus. 

The image the family displays is the most important thing, because this is their paycheck, their lively hood. The Hicks children are expected to show their best side and and their best behavior at all times.

Essie has a secret. One that must be dealt with, and hidden from the public veiw.

Essie is pregnant. For now, only a select few know. Her Mother, Celia, has discovered the pregnancy and with the help of the shows producer go through the available options. They have decided on 3 options. They can send Essie out of the country on a “ mission Trip”. They can alow the birth of the child and convince the world that the child is Celias. Or they can go big and marry Essie off,  thus providing a storyline explaining the pregnancy and boosting the ratings.

Essie has learned to listen in on the conversations that occur in the office from one of her sisters. She uses this skill to eavesdrop on the decisions being made on her behalf.

Celia tells Essie that they have decided to marry her off in a quick wedding, and they will need to find a willing counterpart to go along with their plan.

Essie acts the obeident daughter, and agrees to go along with her mothers choice. But, Essie has other plans.

Essie starts showing interest in a boy from her church and her school, Roarke Richards. Quickly her mother gains interest and sets a meeting with Roarkes parents to pitch the wedding plans.

With the promise of financial gain and stability the Richards family agrees to go along with the ruse. Essie and Roarke begin to fabricate the backstory of their relationship, creating pictures and stories in an attempt to present to the public that the relationship is real.

Essie grants infamous investigative reporter Liberty Bell an exclusive on the wedding, in return for a secret favor, and Libertys trust.

The wedding is fast approaching and the plan made by Essie and Roarke is in full effect. They just have to make it through the wedding.

The day of the wedding arrives. Essie and Roarke are married in an extravagant and televised event. After the marriage license is signed and safe in the hands of Liberty Bell, Essie stands in front of the press and begins to speak.

The words spoken shock the world, they cause her mother to faint, and they can’t be taken back.

The truth is out.  

Lies

Lies by T.M. Logan 

ISBN: 978-1785770555

Publish Date: May 4 2017 / September 11 2018

Read Date: 07/11/2018 - 07/14/2018


Thank You to Macmillan Publishers and T.M. Logan for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Everyone thinks they know their life, and the people they spend their life with. You know their schedules, their car, their habits. But, do you really?

Married for 12 years and living a happy and content life is Joe, Mel and their 4 year old son William. 

While driving home one day little William spots his mothers car driving on the other side of the road. Excited to surprise his mom and show her his new award from school, he pleads with his father to turn around and follow Mom to catch up with her. 
Joe is able to catch up to Mel and realizes that he has followed her into a hotel parking lot. Joe is confused as to why his wife would be in a hotel in the middle of the day, so Joe decides to investigate. 

As Joe approaches the hotel, he sees Mel in a heated conversation, or possible argument with a man. Joe recognizes the man as Ben Delaney, a friend of both his and Mel. Joes mind a going a mile a minute and he is coming up with any number of scenarios that could explain why its in the middle of the day and his wife is in a hotel, arguing with their friend, their married friend. Not long after the heated conversation began, it ended with Mel and Ben going their separate ways.

Still in the parking lot Joe attempts to get Mels attention as she speeds away, instead finds himself face to face with Ben. Joe tries to get information out of Ben, who is not wanting to talk. Yelling takes place, and punches are thrown. Being a slightly bigger guy, Joe has an advantage on Ben. When Joe punches Ben, Ben goes down, hard. Ben falls and hits his head on the ground. While trying to check on Ben, Joe realizes that William is having an asthma attack in the car. To no avail  Joe hurriedly tries to locate Williams inhaler. Joe makes the choice to leave Ben in the parking lot of the hotel and speed home to get William his inhaler. Somewhere in all the chaos, Joe realizes he can't find his cell phone. 


Once home and William taken care of and settled down, Joe returns to the Hotel to check on Ben. Bens car and Ben are gone from the scene. Joe returns home and attempts to contact Ben. There is no answer and no reply. 


A day or so passes and Beth, Bens wife has reported Ben missing to the police and Ben has become the main suspect in the investigation. 

Soon Joe starts seeing strange messages show up on his facebook wall, and begins getting weird texts and emails from his own account. The messages get more threatening, eventually Joe is told that everything will be taken from him. His Teaching job, his Wife and his son. Joe tries desperately to make the police realize that it is Ben sending the messages. The police are not convinced.

Joe tries to get Beth to work with him to prove that he is innocent and that Ben is in fact alive, well and pulling the strings to this sordid ordeal. Beth begins to confide in Joe that she is being followed by a black vehicle. Joe starts to see this black vehicle possibly following him as well. 



One evening, Beth or her daughter texts Joe that the Black vehicle is at their house and they need help. Joe rushes over to Beths house. 

It's at this point that all of the Lies begin to unravel and the truth is spread out right in front of him. 

It's absolutely not what Joe expected. 

How well do you know the one you love the most. 

A Gathering of Secrets

 A Gathering of Secrets by Linda Castillo

ISBN: 978-1250121318
 
Publish Date: July 10th 2018

Read Date: 06/27/2018 - 07/05/2018


Thank you to St. Martins Press and Minotaur Books for an advanced readers copy for my honest review.

As 'A Gathering of Secrets" is book #10 of the Kate Burkholder series and not having read any other books  both in the series or by Linda Castillo, I was leery of this one because I worried I would be lost and confused. Missing only the backstory of Kate Burkholder, the main character, this book flowed well as a stand alone and you are provided enough information through the story-line to understand a large part of the characters previous life.

Amish communities keep to themselves, they are deeply religious and incredibly private people. There is a large number of subjects that are not spoken of within the Amish communities and their households. Even more so, what must be kept secret from the people not in the Amish circle.  The Amish handle their own business, and are not keen on outsiders.

But, Even the Amish can't hide their secrets for long.

Kate Burkholder is an ex-Amish, small town Police Chief of Painters Mill Ohio. She's loyal to her job, her co-workers, her boyfriend and still respects her former life.  Within her small town there is a large Amish presence, including the family she left.

It has been six months since the suicide of a local Amish girl. 17 year old Emma Miller, a  seemingly depressed girl went against her beliefs and took her own life. Now, 18 year old Daniel Gingerich has found himself in his families barn expecting a late night hook -up. Only for Daniel, this is the end.

It's Four O'Clock in the morning, Chief Burkholder receives a phone call from the dispatcher notifying her of a barn fire on the property of a local Amish family. During the same phone call, she learns that the teen son of the barn owners is missing, one Daniel Gingerich.

Chief Burkholder soon learns the firefighters located a body inside the fire, locked and barricaded inside the tack room.  Based off descriptions given by the Amish teen boys family,the key being his beloved pair of cowboy boots A preliminary guess leads Chief Burkholder to believe it is Daniel.  Shortly after, Daniels remains are properly identified and proper notifications are made.

Thus, the investigation begins. But the lingering question remains, who would want to murder a young Amish boy. 

While conducting investigation interviews, Chief Burkholder is told by nearly all who knew Daniel Gingerich that he was an upstanding Amish boy and a strong, good worker, leaving her clueless as to how he ended up in such a position.

Chief Burkholder finally breaks through some barriers little by little and begins to learn that Daniel, being of Rumspringa age, is quite the wild-boy who loves the ladies. A new image of Daniel begins to form as Chief Burkholder starts wondering if his girl chasing has anything to do with his untimely death.

The closer Chief Burkholder gets to figuring out the killer, the more she is hit with barriers and less information. Finally, the investigation gets so close that it could, and almost does, cost Chief Burkholder her life. First she is shot at after being lured to a staged accident, then she is nearly met with the same fate as Daniel Gingerich.

Believing that the killer has been found Chief Burkholder feels like she can finally take a breath. Until she visits a local Amish store front and comes face to face with a piece of evidence she can't ignore.

While a large part of the book is Chief Burkholder providing bits of memory of what ultimately caused her to leave the Amish community, insights into Amish and their beliefs, as well as the Police procedural investigative elements.  You are taken through the entire investigation, which is highly interesting and fairly accurate.


*** Mentions of rape and violence that may be triggers for some people****

Our Kind of Cruelty

Our Kind of Cruelty by Araminta Hall 

ISBN: 978 - 0374228194

Publish Date: May 8th 2018

Read Date: 06/17/2018 - 06/27/2018 

 I received  Our Kind of Cruelty as part of a Goodreads giveaway. My honest review is not required.

When does love meet obsession?

Mike Hayes had  the worst childhood one could imagine. An alcoholic mother with a parade of abusive men in and out of her home. It stands to reason that Mike may not fully understand love and treatment of a loved one.

After being removed from his mothers care, Mike entered foster care. His foster parent tried very hard to teach him how to love, and be loved in return. They thought they had done a decent job.  They got Mike through school, and even got him into college.

During college Mike met Verity, (V).  There was an instant attraction, as Verity is that girl that every boy wants to date, and every girl wants to be.  Mike became deeply devoted to V.  He worked until he had the successful career meant to support V. The physique one would expect of a partner of a woman such as V. Created the perfect home he believed V to belong in.

Mike and Verity had a very sexual relationship, even creating a game of sorts out of it. The couple would enter a bar separately, and Verity would use her striking good looks to entice an unsuspecting man to flirt with her.  She would then signal mike, using a secret code only they knew and he would swoop in to her rescue.

Then Mike agreed to take a job in New York, leaving V in England.  During his time in NY he kept in constant contact with V, wanting to know every part of her day. Then he ran into Carly, and Mike had an affair. Deeply disturbed by what he had done, he returned to V during Christmas and revealed his shamless act to her.  Thus prompting V to end their years long relationship. Little did Mike know, V had secrets of her own.

Mike receives an invitation to Vs wedding in the mail.  Mike is in denial about the wedding and has convinced himself that this V has started up their old game. Mike decides he is all in. He is willing to play.

What Mike doesn't understand is this is no game. Verity is deeply in love with her new fiancee, wanting no more than a friendship with Mike.

Mike is not willing to let Verity go.

One night, it all comes to a head when Veritys new husband arrives at Mikes house, highly drunk. An altercation occurs leaving  Verity to arrive to witness one of the men dead.

** Large amounts of sexual content, may not be appropriate for younger readers**

Mapping the Bones

 Mapping the Bones by Jane Yolen

ISBN:  978 - 0399257780
 
Publish Date: March 6th 2018

Read Date:01/19/2018 - 01/24/2018
 
**** Apologies for the repost, I accidentally deleted this review****

Thank you to Jane Yolen, Goodreads, Penguin Teen and Philomel Books for an advanced uncorrected galley of Mapping the Bones. I received my copy of this book as a giveaway, and my honest review is not required.

Normally a 413 (ish) page book takes me around 2 days to get through. This book however, took me a couple more days. It was a hard, albeit good read. The subject matter is a hard one to stomach.

This fictional story based in 1940s during the Holocaust follows the life of 4 children, Chaim, Gittel, Sophie and Bruno.

This book is basically split into 2 parts.

The first half of the book is the story of the 4 children and how they were forced from their homes into a Polish Ghetto by the Nazis, where they lived in squalor waiting for their " wedding invitation" to relocate them once again and their escape to the Polish border.

The second part of the book follows the childrens capture by German soldiers and their placement in a labor camp where the children try to survive unclean water, spoiled food and the inhumane experiments done by the Doctor. (The Doctor is modeled off of Dr Mengele)

While it was a very good read there were parts that i could have done without. Throughout the book, Chaim doesn't speak due to a severe stutter and uses hand signs that only his sister knows to communicate, but is able to proficiently speak through poetry. Because of this there is quite a bit of randomly placed poetry. Bruno has a superiority complex, which renders him rather annoying. I am not certain this was not done purposefully. The way the children are written rather annoyed me, because i felt a bit of their story was added mush, that could have been left out.

My general annoyance with the children did not take away from the book as a whole, as i still gave it 4 stars.

There is minor graphic explanations of the experiments performed at the camp.

Marketed as a Young Adult Fiction genre for ages 12-18, I felt uncomfortable reading parts at 36. I would allow and encourage my teenagers to read this book, but provide them with a word of caution.

Something in the Water

 Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman

ISBN:  978 - 1524797188

Publication Date: June 5th 2018

Read Date: 06/05/2018 - 06/17/2018


I received an ARC of Something in the Water from Goodreads as part of a giveaway. My honest review is not required.

Erin and her new husband Mark are on a dream honeymoon to Bora Bora. They do all of the touristy things one would do on their honeymoon, scuba diving, sightseeing, shopping.

While on the honeymoon, a large storm hits the island forcing them to change their scuba plans. Now, rescheduled for a nice sunny day after the storm, the two set out. During their dive they locate the remains of a recently downed plane, and a large heavy suitcase.

Convinced it is better to turn in the suitcase rather than open it, they leave it with the front desk upon their outing return. However, a miscommunication lands the suitcase back into the newlyweds possession.

One drunken night, the pair decide to open the suitcase and to their astonishment find a bag of loose diamonds and a large sum of money.  They make the choice to keep the money and the diamonds and use it to begin their mew married life together.

This badly thought out decision set of a chain reaction of events putting both newlyweds in danger.

Erin finds out she is being followed shortly after depositing the money in a off shore bank account, and attempting to sell the diamonds. Mark attempts to convince her that she is not being followed and everything is fine.

Eventually the person hired to follow her, and the person who hired him is revealed. But, it is not what Erin was expecting.

The Woman in Cabin 10

The Woman in Cabin 10  by Ruth Ware

ISBN: 978-1501132957

Publish Date: July 19th 2016

Read Date: 05/03/2018- 05/05/2018

If you thought you witnessed a murder, how far would you go to solve it? What if no one listened?

Small-time journalist Laura (Lo) Blacklock, is handed the opportunity of a lifetime when her pregnant boss gives her the chance to cover the maiden voyage of the expensive and exclusive cruise ship, 'The Aurora'. With only 10 cabins on board, The Aurora is set to give you most of the experiences of a luxury cruise line with more privacy.

Without sleep and hungover, Lo finds herself on board the Aurora and being ushered to her cabin. The first night on board, Lo is desperate to network but realizes that in her hasty packing she failed to bring every girls make up best friend, mascara. She decides to take a chance and pop over to the cabin next to hers to see if she can borrow some. After knocking on the door the woman in cabin 10 (hey there look at that !!!) answers the door seemingly surprised to see Lo. The woman practically throws the mascara at her and rushes her away. 

Sometime throughout the night Lo is awakened by what she believes was a scream and a splash. Confused by the noise, Lo goes out to the veranda to take a quick look. She sees no one so she checks the veranda of the cabin next door where she doesn't see any people, but she does see a blood smear on the sliding door. Now convinced a murder has taken place, Lo is on the hunt for answers. She advises the head of security of what she saw and heard. He seems puzzled because Cabin 10 is supposed to be empty. The guest assigned to that cabin, did not make the trip.

Determined to prove she was right and something happened in that cabin, Lo is traipsed around the entire ship going person to person on board to find her mystery mascara giver. After everyone on board has been checked, and mystery woman still not found, security begins trying to poke holes in Lo's story. Still slightly hungover, Lo begins to wonder if it was in fact all in her head. 

Then, the mascara goes missing.. Has Lo gone crazy, is the mixture of her depression/ anxiety medication and alcohol making her imagine things? Unknown to Lo at the time, her story is just beginning. 

Lo begins to have strange occurrences around her, strange writing on a steamed bathroom mirror and everyone trying to convince her she is wrong. Ultimately, convinced she is not going crazy, she tells her story to anyone who will listen. Someone has to know about the missing girl after all. Right? Lo makes the decision to notify the police at the first docking stop. 

The evening before the Aurora is scheduled to dock for the first stop of the trip, Lo believes she sees her mystery woman. She exits her cabin to follow her, only she doesn't find her. Lo is knocked out and awakens in an all white windowless room at the bottom of the ship, under the water line. She soon realizes that she is unable to escape the room, the only contact with anyone is the hand opening the door just enough to shove her food tray inside. 

While trying to fight her way out, her captor is revealed. She learns her captor isn't alone. Still, Lo is determined to make it out alive. 

With the discovery of 2 bodies in the water, will we finally know who was murdered? And will Lo make it out alive?