Blue Moon Mystery Saloon

The Bullet

A Novel by Mary Louise Kelly, Gallery Books, March 2015. 

* An e-galley was provided by Gallery Books and Edelweiss for an honest review.

The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In THE BULLET, by Mary Louise Kelly, a 37-year-old Georgetown University professor has an MRI to discover why she has tingling and sharp pain in her wrist and finds out she has a bullet lodged in her neck. The problem is she doesn't remember how or when she received such an injury. There are no scars, no evidence that she'd ever been wounded. Thus begins Caroline Cashion's search for the truth about her life, who she is, and how she came to have a bullet in her body.

That night she finds out from her family that she was adopted after her real parents were brutally murdered thirty-four years ago. She was shot in the attack, but the bullet was too close to important nerves and blood vessels, so the doctors decided to leave it in her body. Caroline travels to Atlanta, her original hometown, to try and find out what happened to her and her parents. She contacts a policeman who worked on the case and finds that the murderer still hasn't been identified.

Though the main characters are fairly well developed, I didn't feel a lot of empathy for any of them. My perfect book is when I, as the reader, am transported into the story. Not only do I feel I'm part of the action, I know the characters inside and out. This didn't happen in THE BULLET. From the beginning, Caroline is telling you her story. Like you're a therapist and she's sharing her reason for needing your help. You don't feel particularly involved in the turn of events, but you still listen, as she's an compelling narrator with a fascinating story to tell.

The story, told in first person, past tense, is full of interesting twists and turns that keep the reader riveted to the action. But as Caroline gets closer to the finish, the narrative bogs down a bit. Don't get me wrong. It's still an enjoyable story. And it has a good ending. So keep reading!

If you like suspense stories with an unusual premise and filled with surprises, THE BULLET is a perfect novel for you. It's engrossing and gripping and is a wonderful book to read on a rainy day or while relaxing on vacation.

If You Like This, You Might Like : TRACERS SERIES by Laura Griffin, FORGOTTEN FILES and THE MORGANS OF NASHVILLE series by Mary Burton, MAX REVERE NOVELS by Allison Brennan, ALL THE MISSING GIRLS by Megan Miranda, GOOD AS GONE by Amy Gentry, WITH MALICE by Eileen Cook


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The Kept Woman

Will Trent Series, Book 8, by Karin Slaughter, William Morrow, September 2016.

*An e-galley was provided by William Morrow/HarperCollins and Edelweiss for an honest review. 

The Kept Woman by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

THE KEPT WOMAN , by Karin Slaughter, is the eighth book in her police procedural, Will Trent series and is filled with all kinds of twists and turns pivotal to good thrillers. In this intriguing story, Will and his Georgia Bureau of Investigation colleagues work with the Atlanta Police Department to solve the murder of a crooked ex-cop. The owner of the scene's abandoned building is a well-known sports figure who Will was unable to prove guilty in a recently closed case. The murder investigation turns personal when Will's estranged wife, Angie Polaski's, blood is found at the scene and their intertwined past and current troubles bubble to the surface, endangering his professional life and his relationship with medical examiner, Sara Linton.

I have to admit I've never read this author's work before, but I won't miss her future books. I was immediately pulled into the story and had no trouble understanding the pertinent backstory between all the main characters. I also found the characters realistic, each with flaws and interesting backgrounds.

Will is a physically and emotionally wounded man who has overcome his horrible upbringing with gentleness, routine and hard work to succeed in life. Angie is a crazy ex-cop, PI, and overall survivor from a childhood filled with all kinds of abuse. She flits in and out of Will's life creating havoc wherever she lands. She enjoys messing with Sara by breaking into her home and moving things about, sometimes leaving disturbing messages. Angie wants them to know that she'll always be around clinging to Will and directing anger towards Sara. Sara has weathered some difficult events of her own (though not as horrendous as Will and Angie) and suffers from self-doubts and confusion, both about herself and her relationship with Will. Even the less major characters are fleshed out with unique and complex lives.

Though the story is told in several points of view, the majority is through the eyes of Will, Angie and Sara. Keeping up with the POV changes was relatively easy, particularly since the different POVs were easily distinguished with spacing or chapters breaking them up.

I really enjoyed the author's use of humor to get the reader throughout the book. A scene in the dead ex-cop's house caused me to laugh out loud, and some of the characters' thoughts were very witty. But make no mistake, this is definitely a gritty police procedural and thriller, with all the gore and dirty primal survival techniques found in the lives of shady, abusive people.

The only thing keeping me from giving the novel five stars is the ending. I hate loose ends and though one major storyline is fleshed out, another important one is left hanging. Probably to kick off the next work in the series?

I would recommend THE KEPT WOMAN to anyone who likes police procedurals with a smattering of humor, stories of comeuppance, and mysteries with great twists and turns.

NOTE : The rather frank discussions of physical and sexual abuse within the story may not be suitable for anyone younger than 9th or 10th grades.


If You Like This Book, You May Like: Other books in the WILL TRENT SERIES by Karin Slaughter, TRACERS SERIES by Laura Griffin, MORGANS OF NASHVILLE and TEXAS RANGERS series by Mary Burton, FBI THRILLER BOOKS by Catherine Coulter, LUCY KINCAID NOVELS by Allison Brennan, DARKNESS by Karen Robards

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How to Make Out

By Brianna R. Shrum, Sky Pony Press, August 2016.

 * An e-ARC was provided by Sky Pony Press and Edelweiss for an honest review.

 

How to Make Out by Brianna Shrum
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

HOW TO MAKE OUT, by Brianna R. Shrum, is an enjoyable book about 16-year-old Renley Eisner and her quest to fund her math club trip to New York City. Along the way, she discovers she can be whomever she wants, but she may not like what she becomes.

Fairly invisible in school and home, Renley spends much of her time with April, her fellow math geek, and Drew, her next door neighbor. She doesn't have a boyfriend, and Drew goes through girls fairly quickly. He really cares a lot for Renley, but she only sees him as a really good friend.

Renley wants to go on the trip with April but doesn't have the $3000 needed to get there. She hates to ask her father for the money, so she decides to create an anonymous How-To blog and charge for answering readers' questions. She's unskilled in a lot of areas, so when she has a question to answer, she researches the best processes online and tries them out on herself before posting the best one on her blog. As Renley improves herself and her blog brings in cash, she becomes noticed at school and attracts the attention of a really cute boy she's crushed on in her Home Ec class.

As she and her blog become popular, she practically abandons her two best friends. Questions arise about who created the blog at the same time as Renley's life starts failing apart. Ultimately she has to decide what is really important in her life.

The story's main characters are well written and experience evolving maturity throughout the book. Each chapter is headed with a How-To (the first being "How to Do Long Division"), and follows Renley's progress with her blog and herself. Though the topics of friendship, personal growth, and truthfulness are addressed, trust is the overall issue, both in how a person can become trustworthy and how a person's actions can affect the trust of friends and family.

HOW TO MAKE OUT is a lighthearted, fun book that tackles important life issues, especially for teenagers. It may be a better fit with more mature teens, as some of the How-To topics are a tad bit scandalous, but Renley's discovery of herself and what's important in her life will resonate with most readers. It's a quick, enjoyable read that even adults can appreciate.

If You Like This, You May Like: SAINT ANYTHING by Sarah Dessen, DIRTY LITTLE SECRET and GOING TOO FAR by Jennifer Echols, PAPER TOWNS by John Green, THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER by Jennifer L. Armentrout, GAME ON by Michelle Smith, GOING GEEK by Charlotte Huang



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