Fiction

Salvation Station by Kathryn Schleich

June 17, 2020 by Leah Leave a Comment

I really get excited when new (to me) authors reach out to me to read their book. What also excites me is when this new (to me) author agrees to an author interview (go read it)! Kathryn Schleich is the author of the new crime novel, Salvation Station. This page turning novel will have you on the edge of your seat, anxious to get to the end!

*As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases. The author of this book provided me with an ebook for the purpose of this review*

After Effects: A Zimbell House Anthology Salvation Station: A Novel Hollywood and Catholic Women: Virgins, Whores, Mothers, and other Images

Salvation Station Synopsis

When committed female police captain Linda Turner, haunted by the murders of two small
children and their pastor father, becomes obsessed with solving the harrowing case, she finds
herself wrapped up in a mission to expose a fraudulent religious organization and an
unrepentant killer.

Despite her years of experience investigating homicides for the force, Captain Linda Turner
is haunted by the murders of the Hansen family. The two small children, clothed in tattered
Disney pajamas, were buried with their father, a pastor, in the flower garden behind a church
parsonage in Lincoln, Nebraska. But Mrs. Hansen is nowhere to be found—and neither is the
killer.

In St. Louis, the televangelist Ray Williams is about to lose his show—until one of his
regular attendees approaches him with an idea that will help him save it. Despite his initial
misgivings, Ray agrees to give it a try. He can’t deny his attraction to this woman, and
besides, she’d assured him the plan is just—God gave her the instructions in a dream.

Multiple story lines entwine throughout this compelling mystery, delving into the topics of
murder, religious faith, and the inherent dangers in blindly accepting faith as truth. While
Reverend Williams is swept up in his newfound success and plans for his wedding, Captain
Turner can only hope that she and her team will catch the Hansens’ cunning killer—before
more bodies surface.

About the Author

Kathryn Schleich has been a writer for thirty years. Her most recent publications include the short story “Reckless Acts,” featured in After Effects: A Zimbell House Anthology, and her story “Grand Slam,” published in The Acentos Review in May 2017. She is the author of two editions of the book Hollywood and Catholic Women: Virgins, Whores, Mothers, and Other Images, which evolved from her master’s thesis. Her guest posts have been featured on the Women On Writing blog, The Muffin, and she writes for the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation’s volunteer newsletter. When she’s not writing, Schleich is likely volunteering in the education and arts communities in the Twin Cities, where she lives. Friends, family, good food, wine, and traveling are important aspects of her life. Salvation Station is her first novel. It is available for sale on on Amazon.

Connect with Kathryn Schleich on Social Media

If you are like me, you probably liked to connect with authors you like on social media. You can find Kathryn Schleich on the following social media platforms:

You can also visit her website for more information about her and the books she has for sale right now!

My Thoughts

Typically, I like stories that have multiple storylines. This novel was no different. There were many storylines intertwined throughout the book and getting invested in each one quickly, was very easy! Go ahead, read it for yourself. Find out what I mean!

Women’s Murder Club – 20th Victim

June 10, 2020 by Leah Leave a Comment

James Patterson is one of my favorite authors. I have been reading his books for a very very long time. Alex Cross and the Women’s Murder Club are two of his book series that I love to read. Recently, James Patterson released another book, 20th Victim, part of his Women’s Murder Club series. I was very lucky to get a copy on my Kindle, almost right away, from the library. That literally never happens! Though, I think the library is ordering extra copies of popular books while it’s closed. Whatever the reason, I was very happy I didn’t have to wait long to read it!

*As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases*

Women’s Murder Club Series

What do you get when you combine a sergeant, a medical examiner, a crime reporter, and an assistant district attorney? You get the fearsome foursome that make up the Women’s Murder Club! The four each work their day jobs, but always find time to get together at their favorite restaurant to officially and unofficially talk about cases. With their unique backgrounds, the foursome have helped each other solve cases and problems that, on their own, would have taken them much longer to solve.

The 20th Victim (Women’s Murder Club (20))The 19th Christmas (Women’s Murder Club)The 18th Abduction (Women’s Murder Club (18))

About 20th Victim

From Amazon –

Three victims, three bullets, three cities. The shooters’ aim is as fearsomely precise as their target selection. When Lindsay realizes that the fallen men and women excel in a lucrative, criminal activity, she leads the charge in the manhunt for the killers. As the casualty list expands, fear and fascination with this suspicious shooting gallery galvanizes the country.
The victims were no angels, but are the shooters villains . . . or heroes?

My Thoughts

I liked this book a lot. It felt like the “old James Patterson”. If you are familiar with his books, you may know what I’m talking about. The last Women’s Murder Club book I read, as well as the last Alex Cross book I read, didn’t feel like James Patterson. One of the things I like about this series is that he switches among the various characters so we see a little about what they are doing, thinking, etc. The last book or two, didn’t really seem to have much of that. This book, however, made up for it! He also had a lot for Lindsay’s husband, Joe. Which I liked a lot. I’m hoping that is a foreshadowing into future books and give Joe a bigger part!

The nice thing about the books in this series is that you can read them out of order, if you want to. Some things may not make much sense, but James Patterson does a good job filling in a little of the backstory. So you can catch on quickly. However, I would just read them in order…but I tend to be a rule follower so that could just be me!

Other Books You May Like

Reading is something I make time for every single day. Even if I only read one page, I still read every day. I tend to read a wide variety of genres. If you follow me on Goodreads, you would notice that! While I do tend to gravitate towards psychological thrillers, especially those with serial killers, I also like to read celebrity memoirs. One I read recently by Jessica Simpson, was really interesting to me. Other books I recommend are:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent

The Woods by Harlan Coben

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is actually the prequel to the Hunger Games series! If you read that series, and enjoyed it, you may want to read the prequel that just came out! I enjoyed it! Everything I have read by Minka Kent is excellent. Especially Stillwater Girls! On June 12th, The Woods will be a series on Netflix! I can’t wait to watch it!

What books do you recommend for me?

Two Can Keep a Secret – YA Novel

May 8, 2020 by Leah Leave a Comment

I’ve not been quiet about the fact that my passion (after reading) is writing. Recently I signed up for a writing workshop. It was supposed to be an in person conference, but ended up needing to be online because of Covid-19. Not only was that workshop great, but it reaffirmed the genre I wanted to write. Young Adult. I just finished Two Can Keep a Secret, a YA novel by Karen M. McManus. Fun fact for you…while YA novels are typically targeted to young adults, 55% of the people reading YA are adults!

*As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases*

One of Us Is Lying Two Can Keep a Secret One of Us Is Next: The Sequel to One of Us Is Lying

About Two Can Keep a Secret

From Amazon –

Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery’s never been there, but she’s heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows.

The town is picture-perfect, but it’s hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone has declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.

Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she’s in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous–and most people aren’t good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it’s safest to keep your secrets to yourself.

My Thoughts

I’ve read other books by Karen M. McManus and enjoyed them. Two Can Keep a Secret is no different. I enjoy books that are written by multiple points of view. It allows us to have more insight into the characters and plot. From a plot standpoint, I think this book was spot on. It moved along nicely and held my attention. I did have a little trouble with a few of the characters. They got a little jumbled up and I wasn’t sure who a few of them were at one point. I eventually figured it out, but that was really my only “complaint” with the book. And lets face it, we have been stuck in our house for the last couple months, so it is quite possible that my focus wasn’t what it normally is when I am reading! I can admit that!

Other Books by Karen M. McManus

I mentioned that I have read other books by this author. The book that stands out to me, and one I would definitely recommend, is One of Us is Lying. There is a sequel to that book, that I have not had a chance to read yet, and I am itching to do so. One of Us is Lying reminded me of the Breakfast Club combined with the game/movie Clue! Pick up a copy of the book and let me know what you think! While you’re reading, try this delicious Andes Mint brownies I recently made!

The Woods by Harlan Coben

April 14, 2020 by Leah Leave a Comment

One of my favorite authors is Harlan Coben. He has this way of drawing you into a book and then you are unable to put the book down. Since we are supposed to stay home right now, due to Covid-19, I have been doing a lot of reading. For the last two days, I was reading, The Woods by Harlan Coben. Like past books I have read by this author, I literally couldn’t put it down. I would wake up, workout, shower, and then start reading. Breaks were only taken when I needed to eat or make dinner. The rest of the time, I was reading.

*As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases*

Home The Woods: A Suspense Thriller The Stranger

The Woods by Harlan Coben

From Amazon –

Paul Copeland, a New Jersey county prosecutor, is still grieving the loss of his sister twenty years ago—the night she walked into the woods, never to be seen again. But now, a homicide victim is found with evidence linking him to the disappearance. The victim could be the boy who vanished along with Paul’s sister. And, as hope rises that his sister could still be alive, dangerous secrets from his family’s past threaten to tear apart everything Paul has been trying to hold together…

My Thoughts

To be 100% honest, I almost did not read this book. The description didn’t really “grab me”. Not to mention, the book is over 500 pages. However, I had finished my last book I was reading (The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides) and I had spent FOREVER trying to find another book I felt like reading. I have literally loved every Harlan Coben novel I’ve read so I decided to give it a shot. Boy was I glad I did. Like most books I read, I like to try and guess what the ending will be. This book was no different.

So like I said, I like to figure things out before the end of the book. When I read actual books, as opposed to on my Kindle, I was the person that flipped to the last page and read it first. I know. I know. It’s horrible, but I couldn’t help it. With the Kindle, it’s not that easy (and if it is easy, don’t tell me)! I thought I had the general idea. And then something happened to make me question exactly what I thought. The way the book ended was nothing like what I thought in the beginning, and I love that! I love being surprised, and believe it or not, I love being wrong!

Why Kindle?

Several years ago, my husband got me the BEST birthday present ever. The Kindle Paperwhite. Since my kids are involved in sports and I pick them up from school and have to sit in the dreaded car line, I love having my Kindle Paperwhite because it allows me to have my book with me wherever I am! My favorite is during spring soccer (that Covid-19 has totally ruined this year – boo) when I would take my daughter to practice and sit in the pavilion, enjoy the spring air, and read on my Kindle. I never needed to worry about having a book with me since I could store more books than I could ever read in my lifetime, on my Kindle Paperwhite at one time! Amazing! Plus, my new Kindle Paperwhite is waterproof, so if it starts to rain, I won’t ruin my book!

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

April 7, 2020 by Leah Leave a Comment

I love when people recommend books to me. Back in December, it was recommended that I read The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. I had to place a hold on it through the library and wait until it was my turn to download it onto my Kindle Paperwhite. It took three months to get to my turn, but the wait to read The Silent Patient was more than worth it. Imagine reading a book that has you literally holding your breath as you read it, all while having your mind running every which way to figure it out. That was me. The entire time.

*As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases*

All-new Kindle Paperwhite Water-Safe Fabric Cover (10th Generation-2018), Charcoal Black Kindle Paperwhite – Now Waterproof with 2x the Storage – Includes Special Offers Amazon 5W USB Official OEM Charger and Power Adapter for Fire Tablets and Kindle eReaders – Black

About The Silent Patient

From Amazon –

Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.

Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.

Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….

My Thoughts on the Alex Michaelides Psychological Thriller

First off, since I read ALL of my books on Kindle, I have to either get books using my Kindle Unlimited membership or through my library. With this particular book, I put a hold on it through the library. Like I mentioned earlier, it took me nearly three months until it was my turn to read it. It took me about the first 50 pages to get into the book. I’m not one to quit a book when I start one, so I pushed on. Boy was I glad I did! The twists and turns this book took were amazing. At one point, I was pretty certain I knew “who done it”. Boy was I wrong! The genius way Alex Michaelides tied of the ending and showed us what really happened, took my breath away. I truly hope this book becomes a movie. In fact, it should be directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Seriously.

The Silent Patient Spare Room: “The scariest, creepiest and best psychological suspense you’ll read this year” – Lee Child The Perfect Family: An unputdownable psychological thriller with a heartstopping twist

Other Books You May Enjoy

I tend to read a lot of psychological thrillers, like this book written by Alex Michaelides. Besides psychological thrillers, I like to read series books, some romance (more sappy, happy ending type), and any other book that is recommended to me. Some books I’ve read recently that I really enjoyed are:

Jack Stratton series

A Killers Wife

The Family Journal

As always, if you have a book that you just read, that you really enjoyed and think I should read it, let me know! I am always looking for new books to read! Especially now that we are stuck inside and reading is all I do right now!