Fiction by Megan Lally
At the beginning of this story a girl who has lost her memory finds herself gravely injured and in a ditch by the side of the road. She's quickly found by local police, though, and they seem to locate her father, who has been frantically looking for her. He says her name is Mary, but she's not sure if he's telling the truth about her name, or anything else...
This was an exciting thriller with an unexpected twist at the end.
Amazon Prime Kindle Fiction by Noelle Ihli
This book was not what I expected. It was about catching a serial killer who targeted girls he met on a dating app, but he was way more successful than might have been hoped. In fact, it's his dead victims who help stop him!
This was exciting and unexpected, but not very cheerful.
I also read recently (free!) by Amazon Prime Kindle: Last Patient of the Night
Fiction by Nicole Trope
At the beginning of this book a man called Damon is struck by a car at a busy intersection on the rain, which is of course "the accident" to which the title refers. The question is, was it really and accident, or did someone hit him on purpose? Then the reader discovers that Damon has both a wife and pregnant girlfriend, as well as an attractive female therapist who refers to him as "the narcissist." Could one or more of them be involved?
This was an okay thriller but the characters were not very likeable. Also it slipped into over-the-top unbelievability after a while, giving me a mild case of I-Can-No-Longer-Suspend-My-Disbelief-Syndrome.** Really, how many affairs/ one-night-stands can this guy actually have? I have loved everything else I've read by this author, but this book is not nearly up to her usual standard.
Fiction by Catherine Ryan Hyde
I love this author and the relatable characters she writes! This book centers on Maggie, doctor and a divorced mother of two who volunteers with an organization called Doctors on Wheels, a mobile medical unit that helps disaster victims. Maggie's boyfriend Alex supports her work wholeheartedly (actually he's a nurse who works directly with her) but her teenaged daughters don't like it. They wish for a mom who is more focused on them than she is on helping strangers.
As usual, this is a great book that gives the reader a lot to think about.
Fiction by Meg Eilson
Layla is fourteen years old and lives in serious poverty with a supremely indifferent mother and a needy six-year-old brother. She is super smart and gets good grades almost without effort, but most of her energy is spent taking care of her baby brother and simply surviving. The reader knows this situation is unsustainable and has to blow up, but Layla is determined to keep gong no matter what.
The character of Layla was heart-breakingly believable, and this whole story was amazingly well-written. The book was engrossing but not necessarily enjoyable. It was awfully bleak and sad. I really wanted things to work out better than they did....
Audible Original Fiction by Ben Winters.
At the beginning of this story, a young woman called Annie is sitting in her fiancé's kitchen when an apparently homeless old lady shows up and disrupts her life in a very unexpected way.
This was an interesting and exciting story. I recommend it!
I also listened to recently by Audible Originals: For We are Many
Nonfiction by Ellen Hunter Ulken
This book briefly profiles the short lives of six twentieth century female singers, all of whom died before reaching age 35. Five of the women were known to me.
It was a good overview and it's interesting to see the similarities and differences in the women's lives.
Fiction by Freida McFadden
Tegan is twenty-three years old and eight months pregnant. She works a crappy low-paying job, but she's hopeful that she'll be able to get support from the baby's father once it is born. But things don't work out as well as she had planned...
This was an exciting thriller with several twists!
Fiction by Jocelyn Green
This was a historical novel set during the Great Chicago Fire. It had good characters, but was basically a romance. It's the beginning of series; I may read the others.
Amazon Prime Kindle Fiction by Gary Gerlacher
A.J. Docker --known as "Doc"-- is an emergency-room physician who likes excitement and dates a lot of women. This book is the beginning of a series about him and his adventures. In this story, Doc solves the mystery of what happened to Jenny, a young woman dropped off at the ER on the brink of death by an unknown assailant.
This was a fun story and definitely worth reading, especially for free. I'm not sure if I like Doc well enough to read more of these, however.
Fiction by Jamie Brenner
Amelia owns a bed and breakfast in Provincetown with her partner Kelly, but on this particular summer she decides not to open the inn to guests. Little does she know that some guests will be coming after all, due to a DNA test match from a young woman claiming to be her grand-daughter.
This was a really good story with characters I enjoyed.
Fiction by Karin Slaughter
In this story, number six --#5 was Fallen-- in the Will Trent series, Will and Sara have finally gotten together but face trouble from Will's past. The reader learns a lot more about Will's origins than has ever been reveled before.
Also there's a serial killer to stop, of course...
