Category Archives: Dutton

July 27, 2020 · 11:57 pm

Review: In Case of Emergency by E.G. Scott

Title: In Case of Emergency by E.G. Scott
Publisher: Dutton
Genre: Contemporary, Domestic Mystery, Suspense
Length: 381 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

The new thriller from E. G. Scott follows a woman looking for answers after her boyfriend goes missing and a corpse appears that implicates her in the murder of a woman she never met.

Charlotte, a midthirties Long Island woman, has felt so alone since her promising career in neuroscience imploded. But she has an online support group for trauma survivors; she has Rachel, a friend who has seen her through the worst of it; and now she also has Peter, a mysterious new boyfriend who has asked that their budding romance remain a total secret.

That is why she is too scared to report his disappearance to the authorities when he vanishes without a word.

Weeks later, police contact her to make an ID on a body and she fears the worst for her missing beau. Instead, she arrives at the morgue and feels a terrible relief when she sees a woman she has never met before on the table in front of her. But relief is replaced by confusion, then terror, when Charlotte realizes she has become a person of interest.

Why did Jane Doe have Charlotte listed as her emergency contact? Was it revenge or a warning? And where exactly does Peter factor into all this? As Charlotte becomes the prime murder suspect, she enters into a race against the clock to find truth about the dead woman and the connections they shared. But what she discovers is beyond anything she could have ever imagined.

Review:

In Case of Emergency by E.G. Scott is a fast-paced domestic mystery.

Charlotte Knopler is  former neurosurgeon turned acupuncturist. She and her best friend, Rachel Sherman, share office space but due to Charlotte’s past, business is a not exactly booming.  But they remain hopeful things will turn around for them soon.  However, things are not looking up after  Charlotte becomes the main suspect in the death of a woman she does not know. With Detectives Silverstri and Wolcott closing in on making an arrest, will Charlotte figure out who is behind the puzzling murder?

Charlotte’s neurosurgery career ended in tragedy and she is still trying to make peace with herself.  She has a difficult relationship with her mother who is one of the few people who have stood by her in recent years. Charlotte is a bit concerned about her friendship with Rachel as she senses her best friend is a little distant and distracted. She believes part of the problem between them is Rachel’s distrust of Charlotte’s boyfriend, Peter Stanton. Charlotte is feeling a little uneasy about their relationship as well since she has not heard from Peter in quite some time. But she ties to remain optimistic since his job frequently requires radio silence when he is working on a case. Luckily, Rachel has an online support group who never fail to bolster her spirits.

With little information to go on except for an “in case of emergency” card, Detective Silvestri and Wolcott are confident Charlotte will identify the deceased woman at the heart of their newest case. Surprised by her denial she knows the woman, they are shocked at the cause of death.  Once they uncover the truth about the victim’s identity, Silvestri and Wolcott are more convinced than ever that Charlotte is their killer. But will they find the evidence they need to arrest her?

Alternating between three distinct points of view, In Case of Emergency is an unputdownable mystery with a clever storyline and likable characters. Despite her life experiences, Charlotte is a little naive but easy to empathize with as she tries to remain upbeat and positive. Rachel is equally easy to like but what is she keeping from her best friend? Silvestri and Wolcott are tenacious as they doggedly work their investigation.  Through a series of sly misdirects  and devious red herrings,  E.G. Scott brings this twist-filled domestic mystery to a breathless conclusion.  I absolutely loved and highly recommend this exceptional mystery to fans of the genre.

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Filed under Contemporary, Domestic Mystery, Dutton, EG Scott, In Case of Emergency, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Suspense

June 28, 2020 · 11:58 pm

Review: Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

Title: Home Before Dark by Riley Sager
Publisher: Dutton
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense, Supernatural
Length: 397 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In the latest thriller from New York Times bestseller Riley Sager, a woman returns to the house made famous by her father’s bestselling horror memoir. Is the place really haunted by evil forces, as her father claimed? Or are there more earthbound—and dangerous—secrets hidden within its walls?

What was it like? Living in that house.

Maggie Holt is used to such questions. Twenty-five years ago, she and her parents, Ewan and Jess, moved into Baneberry Hall, a rambling Victorian estate in the Vermont woods. They spent three weeks there before fleeing in the dead of night, an ordeal Ewan later recounted in a nonfiction book called House of Horrors. His tale of ghostly happenings and encounters with malevolent spirits became a worldwide phenomenon, rivaling The Amityville Horror in popularity—and skepticism.

Today, Maggie is a restorer of old homes and too young to remember any of the events mentioned in her father’s book. But she also doesn’t believe a word of it. Ghosts, after all, don’t exist. When Maggie inherits Baneberry Hall after her father’s death, she returns to renovate the place to prepare it for sale. But her homecoming is anything but warm. People from the past, chronicled in House of Horrors, lurk in the shadows. And locals aren’t thrilled that their small town has been made infamous thanks to Maggie’s father. Even more unnerving is Baneberry Hall itself—a place filled with relics from another era that hint at a history of dark deeds. As Maggie experiences strange occurrences straight out of her father’s book, she starts to believe that what he wrote was more fact than fiction.

Review:

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager is an eerie mystery with supernatural aspects.

Twenty-five years after their family fled in terror, Maggie Holt returns to Baneberry Hall.  Only five years old during their twenty days in the home, Maggie has no memories of what happened while living there with her parents, Ewan and Jess.  Following the death of her father, she is shocked to learn her parents did not sell the estate.  Now the owner, Maggie returns to Baneberry in order to refurbish then sell the home. With only Ewan’s best-selling novel about their experiences to fill in the  missing blanks, she hopes to discover once and for all if there is any truth to what lies within the pages of the Book. Highly skeptical of his claims, will Maggie find out the truth about those long ago terrifying events?

Not long after leaving Baneberry, Maggie’s parents divorced and never again spoke of their time in the house.  Maggie’s relationships with both Ewan and Jess after their split are troubled and even in adulthood,  her encounters with Maggie are strained.  Although Maggie and Ewan went through their fair share of ups and downs over the years, they remained close until his death.

Despite loving her father deeply, Maggie fully believes her father’s best-selling novel is full of lies. And some of her discoveries at Baneberry Hall reinforce this belief. However, after strange incidences that closely mirror some scenes depicted in the Book, Maggie cannot help but wonder if she has misjudged Ewan.  But a shocking discovery leaves Maggie reeling and she is uncertain what to believe.  Desperate to learn what happened the family’s last night at Baneberry Hall, is Maggie prepared for what she might uncover?

With the past events revealed through pages of Ewan’s novel, the Holt’s delight in their new home quickly wanes. They are soon plagued by strange sounds and peculiar sightings. But it is Maggie’s sudden imaginary friends that trouble Ewan and Jess the most. Their daughter’s insists  that her new  “friends” are real and they are whispering terrifying warnings. Will Ewan unearth the truth about the apparently spectral phenomena occurring with frightening regularity?  Is Maggie really experiencing visits from ghosts connected to their home’s past?

Home Before Dark is a deliciously creepy mystery with sinister horror elements. Maggie is quite stubborn even in the face of her growing fear about what she might discover about her family.  The ghostly happenings becoming increasingly ominous as Riley Sager brings this mesmerizing mystery to a twist-filled, edge of the seat conclusion.  An absolutely spine-tingling tale that I HIGHLY recommend!

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Filed under Contemporary, Dutton, Home Before Dark, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Riley Sager, Supernatural Elements, Suspense

April 20, 2020 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Business of Lovers by Eric Jerome Dickey

Title: The Business of Lovers by Eric Jerome Dickey
Publisher: Dutton
Genre: Contemporary, Erotic, Fiction
Length: 399 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

All is fair in love and lust in New York Times bestselling author Eric Jerome Dickey’s tale of two brothers, four women, and the business of desire.

Unlike their younger brother, André, whose star as a comedian is rising, neither Dwayne nor Brick Duquesne is having luck with his career—and they’re unluckier still in love. Former child star Dwayne has just been fired from his latest acting role and barely has enough money to get by after paying child support to his spiteful former lover, while Brick struggles to return to his uninspiring white-collar job after suffering the dual blows of a health emergency and a nasty breakup with the woman he still loves.

Neither brother is looking to get entangled with a woman anytime soon, but love—and lust—has a way of twisting the best-laid plans. When Dwayne tries to reconnect with his teenage son, he finds himself fighting to separate his animosity from his attraction for his son’s mother, Frenchie. And Brick’s latest source of income—chauffeur and bodyguard to three smart, independent women temporarily working as escorts in order to get back on their feet—opens a world of possibility in both love and money. Penny, Christiana, and Mocha Latte know plenty of female johns who would pay top dollar for a few hours with a man like Brick… if he can let go of his past, embrace his unconventional new family, and allow strangers to become lovers.

Eric Jerome Dickey paints a powerful portrait of the family we have, the families we create, and every sexy moment in between.

Review:

The Business of Lovers by Eric Jerome Dickey is an entertaining novel that is quite thought-provoking.

Brick Duquesne is still getting over the painful break-up with his girlfriend six months earlier. A lot has happened in his personal life and currently, he is on leave of absence from his job.  Brick is friends with his neighbor Penny and he is currently chauffeuring her around town. He is also playing the role of protector for her while she is meeting with clients. He unexpectedly steps in to help her friends Christiana and Mocha Latte and the quartet form a surprisingly close friendship.  With his ex popping in and out of his life, will Brick finally recover from his broken heart?

Brick’s actor brother Dwayne is also back in town after his teenage son Fela sends him worrying texts. Dwayne and Fela’s mother, Frenchie, never married but Dwayne has always lived up to his responsibility to his son. With Frenchie not returning his texts, he convinces Brick to check up on Fela. Sworn to secrecy, Brick helps as much as he can but will he honor his promise not to tell Dwayne what is going on with Fela and Frenchie?

Penny, Christiana and Mocha Latte are vibrant young woman who never planned to become escorts. Penny is a college student whose ex left her with nothing but a pile of bills and ruined credit. When her friends find themselves in dire straits, she offers them a new career and a place to stay. Christiana is a Cuban refugee who is a highly educated professional who discovers she cannot work in her  previous career in the US. She has gone through a multitude of low paying jobs in order to survive. She is a pragmatic woman with a practical outlook and she knows what she wants for herself.  Mocha Latte is extremely uncomfortable working as an escort.  Although she has a loving family, she does not want to ask them for help after losing her job as an engineer. She is uncertain what she wants further down the line, but she knows her current career is just temporary.

Brick is a wonderfully caring man who  genuinely likes the women now in his life. He is a little frustrated with Dwayne but family is family so he does what he can to help his brother. Brick’s unlikely friendships veer into the “friends with benefits” territory, and he also himself to be talked into briefly becoming an escort. But it is not in his nature to keep the proceeds from his unlikely career.  Being an escort is at odds with his desire for a wife and family so he has a decision to make about his future. With Dwayne, Penny, Christiana and Mocha Latte making changes in their lives, what will Brick decide to do next?

The Business of Lovers is a funny, sexy  and serious novel that features a diverse and appealing cast of characters. The storyline is interesting with plenty of depth and substance.  The sex scenes are plentiful and explicitly detailed. With an unexpected plot twist, Eric Jerome Dickey brings this insightful novel to an absolutely heartwarming conclusion. A very enjoyable novel that I highly recommend.

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Filed under Contemporary, Dutton, Eric Jerome Dickey, Erotic, Fiction, Rated B, Review, The Business of Lovers

March 30, 2020 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel

Title: The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel
Publisher: Dutton
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 245 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A spellbinding story of a mother with nothing left to lose who sets out on an all-consuming quest for justice after her daughter is murdered on the town playground.

Sometimes the answers are worse than the questions. Sometimes it’s better not to know.

Set in the poorest part of the Missouri Ozarks, in a small town with big secrets, The Familiar Dark opens with a murder. Eve Taggert, desperate with grief over losing her daughter, takes it upon herself to find out the truth about what happened. Eve is no stranger to the dark side of life, having been raised by a hard-edged mother whose lessons Eve tried not to pass on to her own daughter. But Eve may need her mother’s cruel brand of strength if she’s going to face the reality about her daughter’s death and about her own true nature. Her quest for justice takes her from the seedy underbelly of town to the quiet woods and, most frighteningly, back to her mother’s trailer for a final lesson.

The Familiar Dark is a story about the bonds of family—women doing the best they can for their daughters in dire circumstances—as well as a story about how even the darkest and most terrifying of places can provide the comfort of home.

Review:

The Familiar Dark by Amy Engel is a gritty and completely enthralling mystery set in a poverty-stricken town in the Missouri  Ozarks.

In hopes of making a better life for her daughter, Junie, single mother Eve Taggert and her brother Cal have managed to escape their dysfunctional and abusive childhood.  Eve works as a waitress at a local diner and Cal is a deputy in the Sheriff’s office. They helped one another survive their horrific childhood and Eve has completely cut their meth-addicted, hard as nails mother out of both her and Junie’s lives. Eve has worked hard to give Junie a good life and she has successfully suppressed the darker aspects of her personality. But after  twelve year old Junie and her best friend Izzie Logan are brutally murdered, Eve’s grief turns to rage as she begins searching for their killer.

After Junie’s death, Eve’s more civilized veneer is stripped away as she begins her hunt for her killer.  Despite her hope the murderer comes from Izzy’s life, she begins her investigation into her own past. After reluctantly asking her estranged mother for help,  Eve seeks answers from her former boyfriend, Jimmy Ray Fulton, who runs the local drug business and owns a strip club.  Cautiously approaching the man who abused her throughout their relationship years earlier, Eve is surprised and slightly puzzled by the advice he offers her.

Eve also relies on Cal to provide her with answers since the sheriff’s office is in charge of the investigation. Cal has long been the rock she relies on and he has taken his niece’s death extremely hard. Cal’s attempts to rein in her investigation are futile as Eve plows headlong into danger in order to find justice for Junie.

The Familiar Dark is an intense, atmospheric mystery that is somewhat dark and disturbing.  The storyline is engrossing and touches on many sensitive issues such as drug addiction, domestic abuse, child neglect and abuse of power by men in authoritative roles. The poverty, small town setting and surrounding hollers are vividly brought to life and add to the story’s overall feeling of bleakness and despair.  Amy Engel brings this mesmerizing mystery to a twist-filled conclusion that is shocking yet astonishingly satisfying.

I thoroughly enjoyed and HIGHLY recommend this tension-filled mystery.

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Filed under 1960s, Amy Engel, Contemporary, Dutton, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, The Familiar Dark

January 20, 2020 · 11:58 pm

Review: Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown

Title: Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown
Publisher: Dutton
Genre: Contemporary, Historical (’50s), Mystery, Women’s Fiction
Length: 335 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

In this captivating dual narrative novel, a modern-day woman finds inspiration in hidden notes left by her home’s previous owner, a quintessential 1950s housewife. As she discovers remarkable parallels between this woman’s life and her own, it causes her to question the foundation of her own relationship with her husband–and what it means to be a wife fighting for her place in a patriarchal society.

When Alice Hale leaves a career in publicity to become a writer and follows her husband to the New York suburbs, she is unaccustomed to filling her days alone in a big, empty house. But when she finds a vintage cookbook buried in a box in the old home’s basement, she becomes captivated by the cookbook’s previous owner–1950s housewife Nellie Murdoch. As Alice cooks her way through the past, she realizes that within the cookbook’s pages Nellie left clues about her life–including a mysterious series of unsent letters penned to her mother.

Soon Alice learns that while baked Alaska and meatloaf five ways may seem harmless, Nellie’s secrets may have been anything but. When Alice uncovers a more sinister–even dangerous–side to Nellie’s marriage, and has become increasingly dissatisfied with the mounting pressures in her own relationship, she begins to take control of her life and protect herself with a few secrets of her own.

Review:

Recipe for a Perfect Wife by Karma Brown is an insightful novel with a dual timeline and a slight mystery element.

In 2018, Alice Hall reluctantly leaves the city for the suburbs when husband Nate finds the house of his dreams. Alice is less than thrilled with their new life, but she hopes to take advantage of the opportunity to start writing her novel.  But she is not making much progress as she whiles away her time reading through the 1950s cookbook, magazines and letters  left behind by the previous owner, Nellie Murdoch. Alice is fascinated with Nellie’s life and begins to feel a kinship with her due to her growing dissatisfaction with her life and marriage. Both Nellie and Alice are hiding secrets but will Alice’s marriage fare better than Nellie’s?

Alice is keeping some important information from Nate, but she easily justifies her choices. She is also not all ready for the changes Nate is hoping for but she keeps her doubts to herself.  With Alice’s misgivings growing, she is soon immersed in Nellie’s life.  Intrigued by the recipes in Nellie’s family cookbook, Alice begins to dabble in preparing home cooked desserts and meals. She also truly immerses herself in the ’50s as she begins dressing in vintage clothes and trying her hand at gardening. She also makes a huge decision that is directly at odds with Nate’s wishes. When carefully crafted lies, secrets and decisions begin to emerge, will Alice’s and Nate’s marriage survive in the aftermath of shocking revelations?

Nellie is just starting married life with her older husband Richard in their new home. She is quite young but hopeful for her future. Nellie creates a beautiful garden and forms an unexpected friendship with her elderly neighbor, Miriam.  Eager to begin a family, Nellie and Richard are both disappointed when a baby proves elusive. But, as her cookbook and letters reveal, all is not happy within the Murdoch household. Richard is controlling and abusive but Nellie is no shrinking violet. With few options available to women, will Nellie escape from her increasingly violent husband?

Recipe for a Perfect Wife is a riveting novel with a delightfully unique storyline and colorful characters. Alice is not exactly a sympathetic character and many of her problems are of her making. Nate is charming man but as their once happy marriage begins to deteriorate, Alice realizes her husband is keeping a few secrets of his own.  Nellie is an extremely likable woman and she quite inventive as she stealthily handles her problems on her own. With some shocking twists and very unexpected turns,  Karma Brown brings the novel to an exceptionally surprising conclusion. A very clever novel that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend.

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Filed under Contemporary, Dutton, Historical, Historical (50s), Karma Brown, Mystery, Rated B+, Recipe for a Perfect Wife, Review, Women's Fiction

January 13, 2020 · 11:58 pm

Review: The Prized Girl by Amy K. Green

Title: The Prized Girl by Amy K. Green
Publisher: Dutton
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 383 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through Edelweiss

Summary:

From debut author Amy K. Green comes a devastating tale of psychological suspense: a teen pageant queen is found murdered in a small New England town, and her sister’s search for answers unearths more than she bargained for.

Days after a young pageant queen named Jenny is found murdered, her small town grieves the loss alongside her picture-perfect parents. At first glance, Jenny’s tragic death appears clear-cut for investigators. The most obvious suspect is one of her fans, an older man who may have gotten too close for comfort. But Jenny’s half-sister, Virginia—the sarcastic black sheep of the family—isn’t so sure of his guilt and takes matters into her own hands to find the killer.

But for Jenny’s case and Virginia’s investigation, there’s more to the story. Virginia, still living in town and haunted by her own troubled teenage years, suspects that a similar darkness lay beneath the sparkling veneer of Jenny’s life. Alternating between Jenny’s final days and Virginia’s determined search for the truth, the sisters’ dual narratives follow a harrowing trail of suspects, with surprising turns that race toward a shocking finale.

Infused with dark humor and driven by two captivating young women, The Prized Girl tells a heartbreaking story of missed connections, a complicated family, and a town’s disturbing secrets.

Review:

The Prized Girl by Amy K. Green is a suspense-laden mystery about a murdered teenager.

When her thirteen year old half-sister Jenny is murdered, twenty-six year Virginia Kennedy is not as devastated as she should be. They have never been close, but Virginia cannot help but wonder why she did not work harder on their relationship. So when Detective Brandon Colsen zeros in on Benjy Lincoln as the main suspect in Jenny’s murder, Virginia decides to do right by her sister. Certain that Benjy is not the killer, Virginia begins investigating Jenny’s life in the weeks leading up her murder.

Virginia is barely tolerated by her father, Calvin and her stepmother, Linda. Their relationship is never close after her mother’s suicide and Linda is too busy taking Jenny from one beauty pageant to another to bother with her stepdaughter. Virginia is an underachiever who spends most of her time in her apartment and goes from one low paying job to another. One day a week she allows her demons to take hold but she never fails to show for the weekly dinner with her estranged family.

The summer before her murder, Jenny infuriated Linda by refusing to enter anymore beauty pageants. After a tumultuous summer, she is beginning high school and her once close friendship with Mallory Murphy is tenuous. On the outs with her circle of friends, Jenny’s parents force her to see school counselor Hunter Willoughby. Jenny’s friendship with new student JP is the only bright spot in her life as her relationship with her mother rapidly deteriorates.

With the chapters alternating between past and present, the truth about Jenny’s murder and Virginia’s past is gradually revealed. Jenny’s chapters are heartbreaking as they reveal her increasingly desperate attempts to gain control of her life. Virigina’s chapters are no less heartrending as she tries to make peace with her broken past.  Harboring many regrets, Virginia is determined to finally do right by her younger sister, but is she making any better choices in the present than she did in the past?

The Prized Girl is a mesmerizing mystery about a dysfunctional family and Jenny’s tragic murder. The dual timeline keep the pages turning at a blistering pace as this clever mystery hurtles to a shocking dénouement.  Amy K. Green brings this clever debut to an unsettling conclusion that will leave readers questioning whether or not justice has truly been served. An engrossing mystery that I found impossible to put down and highly recommend to fans of the genre.

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Filed under Amy K Green, Contemporary, Dutton, Mystery, Rated B+, Review, Suspense, The Prized Girl