"Everyone Is Watching" by Heather Gudenkauf

Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf is a page turner thriller!  I was hooked right from the start and found it hard to put down.  It is about a reality TV show with a prize of $10,000,000 and five contestants got an email invitation saying they were nominated to be on the show.  Similar to the TV show Survivor, but the challenges are brutal and the audience decides who must leave, not the players.  As contestant's private secrets are revealed, it becomes clear that this is much more than just a show.  The background of the characters is gradually revealed as the book goes on.  

This was wild and entertaining.  I enjoyed the challenges best, and really couldn't figure out the connection to all the characters.  This was an entertaining and enjoyable read for me since I like Survivor and competition.  I never knew what was going to happen next since this is packed with surprises all along the way!  I recommend you read this one and see if you can guess who wins.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)  

Gerard's review 4/9/24:
If you like reality shows, Everyone Is Watching by Heather Gudenkauf is the book for you!  Five people are playing for a chance to win ten million dollars!  You can pick a person and see if they win.  What do they have to do?  You will have to read the book to find out!  This book was pretty much action filled.  I LOVED IT!  It is wild from start to finish!  I highly recommend this one!  Even if you aren't big on reality TV shows (like me), you may still like this since I did!  (5++ stars)    

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"The Coworker" by Freida McFadden

The Coworker by Freida McFadden is about revenge and what a story it is!  It is told from two points of view--Natalie's and Dawn's.  These two women are co-workers.  When Dawn turns up missing, Natalie becomes the primary suspect.  This book has an amazing plot that kept my interest throughout.  It's quite the elaborate mystery with lots of surprises along the way and an amazing ending.  WOW!  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 3/16/24:
In The Coworker by Freida McFadden, you can always tell when Dawn is in the office because she arrives he same time every day and has no friends.  On day she is not at her desk.  Natalie, her co-worker, gets a phone call that changes everything.  

Freida McFadden's books are very good and this is no exception.  It has plenty of twists and turns.  Good luck guessing how this one all plays out!  (5++ stars)

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"Where the Dead Sleep" by Joshua Moehling (#2)

In Where the Dead Sleep by Joshua Moehling, Packard is the law in this small town.  Not that he wants to be, but somebody has to do it.  Now a murder takes place and he has to figure out who did it and why.  There is no shortage of people who could have done it; but one thing is certain.  Whoever did it wants it to stay unsolved.  This has good action and kept me turning pages.  There is a cliff-hanger ending though, but there will be a next book.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"ANNA" by Matthew Blake

In ANNA by Matthew Blake, Anna Ogily is a budding writer.  One night while asleep, she stabs to death two people!  How can this be?  Dr. Benedict Prince is an expert in sleep-related homicides.  It will be up to him to figure all this out.  This book is wild, but in a good way!  It has a great storyline that kept me turning pages quickly.  I tried to figure it out, but was all wrong.  The last 100 pages or so will leave you breathless!  This is a must read--do not miss this one!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Unwilling" by John Hart is One We Both Liked!

The Unwilling is a great story about the French family.  The father, a detective, an over protective mother whose favorite son was killed in the Vietnam war; Jason, the second oldest who was dishonorably discharged from the marines, an ex-con who just got released; and the youngest, Gibby, who is a senior in high school.  When Jason and Gibby spend a day together against the mother's wishes, the girl Jason was with gets murdered and Jason is the primary suspect.  Gibby sets out to find the real killer and trouble ensues.  

This was a fast-paced page turner for me!  I was drawn into it right away and liked both brothers.  I thought the family dynamic was quite interesting and the story line was thrilling.  The only thing I did not like about this book was the couple loose ends that did not fully get resolved.  Still, I loved the journey and had a very hard time putting it down.  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 12/7/23:

This book is about three brothers born to a detective.  The first brother goes to Vietnam and gets killed.  The second brother, Jason, goes to Vietnam and is a killing machine.  He comes home and has an incident that puts the cops on his trail.  The younger brother, who has been protected by his overprotective mother, sets out to help his brother clear his name.  LOVED ALL THE ACTION!  Who knew who is good and who is bad?  GREAT ENDING!  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"The Intern" by Michelle Campbell is a Fantastic Legal Thriller

The Intern by Michele Campbell is one of the best legal thrillers I ever read!  This is about a Harvard intern, Madison, to a crooked Judge, Kathryn Conroy.  Both women find themselves in compromising positions through no fault of their own.  I got into this book right from the start and kept turning pages very quickly!  The plot was well developed, the characters interesting and believable, suspense galore and a great ending!  The judge even had a cat that actually had a role in the book that I enjoyed very much. I loved this one and highly recommend it!  (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 10/26/23:
In The Intern by Michele Campbell, Madison gets a dream job--an intern for a well-respected lady judge.  The judge likes her, and Madison feels she is on a fast track to where she wants to go.  However, soon her dream job turns into a nightmare!  This is a good read with good characters and an easy-to-follow storyline.  It has good action too in the second half of the book.  (5+ stars) 

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"None of This is True" by Lisa Jewell

In None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, Alix does a podcast and meets Josie who has the same birthday.  Josie tells Alix she is on the verge of doing something very different in her life and would love it if Alix would do a podcast about it.  Alix does podcasts about successful women and is popular.  Alix is not sur about this, but decides to go ahead and do it.  Soon she will be sorry she ever met Josie!  

I thought this book was very good.  Alix and Josie are both great characters and the storyline is really good.  This is a wild ride and I loved it!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Fourth Wing" (the Empyrian #1) by Rebecca Yarros

In Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros, Violet wants to be a scribe, but her mom has other plans for her and is running the show.  Consequently, Violet goes to school to be a dragon rider and help defend her country.  Her sister and friends tell her not to do this.  Violet goes anyway because she does not want to live with wondering what if she had made it.  

This book is very good from early on.  It has a great storyline and plenty of action.  I'll have to wait a few months for book 2, but looking forward to it!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"The Girl in the Castle" by James Patterson and Emily Raymond

In The Girl in the Castle by James Patterson and Emily Raymond, Hannah lives in two worlds.  One is the year 1347 in a castle where she must save her sister, Mary, from the evil Barron.  The second world is where she is now--the Looney Bin.  She must go back to save Mary, but no one believes her until . . . .  You will have to read this book to find out what comes next!  I thought this book was really good!  It has great characters an unique storyline and plenty of action!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"All the Dangerous Things" by Stacy Willingham

In All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham, Isabella's life changes forever when she wakes up one day and her baby boy is gone!  She cannot sleep at all and her own past is hunting her.  This is the second book I've read by this author.  Flicker in the Dark was the first one and I loved that and this one too!  She got me engaged in both and I loved her endings as well!  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Hidden Pictures" by Jason Rekulak is a Creepy Thriller!

In Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak, Mallory really needs a job.  So when a job comes up to look after a 5-yr.-old boy for a nice couple in a real nice neighborhood, she jumps at the chance to take it.  How hard could it be to look after a 5-yr.-old boy?  You'll have to read it to find out.  This thriller is very good!  I had a hard time putting it down.  It has a great storyline and the characters were developed really well too with a heck of an ending!  I highly recommend this one!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Five Survive" by Holly Jackson is so Good It's a Must Read!

Five Survive by Holly Jackson is a teen thriller than kept my interest.  Six friends head to spring break in an RV and end up in a deserted area with a shooter shooting out their tires and gas tank!  He says one of them has a secret and he'll only let them go if they tell him what he wants to know.  What does he want to know?  He doesn't say!  He just says they know who they are.  They can't call for help because there is no cell service.  How will they get out?    

This has lots of suspense in it as the friends try to figure out ways to escape and send for help.  This is a really good book because all through it, I was trying to figure out who was the one going to die (based on the title), how they would get out of this predicament and what the secret was and who had it.  I agree with my husband about this one--it's a page-turner and a must read if you enjoy mysteries and thrillers.  Even the ending is a shocker!    (Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard's review 1/23/23:
In Five Survive by Holly Jackson, six friends pile into an RV for a fun weekend at a camp.  They get lost in the dark and go into the woods where their RV breaks down!  Just when they are about to go, someone makes sure that they are not going anywhere until they give him what he wants.

This was SO GOOD from the writing, to lots of action, the storyline, the believable characters, and a great ending!  This went really fast because I couldn't stop turning the pages!  Do not miss this one!  (5++ stars)

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"Nine Liars" by Maureen Johnson--A YA Contemporary Thriller

In Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson, nine friends are on a sightseeing trip to London.  They decide to play a night time game of hide and seek at an England country home.  The next morning, two of the nine are found dead, killed by an axe.  The other seven say they know nothing about it.  See if you can figure out who killed the two people.  I thought this was really good because of the characters and storyline.  It kept me turning pages.  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six" by Lisa Unger is Fantastic!

Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger is a thriller about six people who go to a cabin for relaxation and to unplug, but encounter foul play that they totally did not expect.  This storyline converges with a second storyline about Henry, who discovers his father was a sperm donor and a very bad man!   

This book was pretty good, but there are a lot of characters and I didn't like how it jumped back and forth between the two storylines.  I liked the first storyline better.  The theme of the book is that our DNA does not have to control us.  We can choose who we want to be.  (Karen's review, 4 stars)

Gerard's review 11/18/22:
In Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six by Lisa Unger, six couples rent a cabin in the woods for a weekend.  It is away from everyone, very secluded.  They look forward to a week of fun, relaxation and making happy memories.  One person wants these people to remember this weekend too for all the wrong reasons.   This is a fantastic book that kept me turning pages.  (5++ stars)

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"What Comes After" by Joanne Tompkins

In What Comes After by Joanne Tompkins, two young teen boys are found dead in the woods of a small town.  They were friend.  A few weeks later, a young teen girl comes out of the woods but who is she and why is she here now?  She gets involved in the lives of both of the dead boys' families.  What are her secrets?  This book is really good.  I enjoyed all the characters and the good story line.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Insomnia" by Sarah Pinborough

In Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough, Emma's 40th birthday is coming soon.  She has been dreading this day for a long time.  Why? you ask.  You will have to read the book to find out!  I thought this book was very good.  Emma is a great character and I never knew what was going to happen next!  I loved the ending too!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)  

Insomnia by Sarah Pinborough left me in a fog sort of.  The story line was so far out that I felt I wasted my time reading it.  The whole plot is about whether Emma is crazy and paranoid or not.  This book has an elaborate storyline that I felt moved too slowly.  I felt sorry for Emma but didn't think much of her husband.  There is some good action near the end and things do pick up so I didn't hate it.  I didn't really like the ending all that much, but was okay with it and glad everything was explained.  I do think it would make for an interesting book club discussion.  (Karen's review, 3 stars)

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"The Cage" by Bonnie Kistler is a Page Turner!

In The Cage by Bonnie Kistler, two women enter an elevator lost in their own thoughts.  When it reaches the ground floor, one woman is dead from a gun shot!  Was it murder or suicide?  I thought this novel was really good.  Just the Prologue will get you hooked and the writing will keep you engaged right to the great ending!  The main character, Shay Lambert, was very enjoyable.  I highly recommend this one!  (Gerard's review, 5+ stars)  

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"The Lady's Mine" by Francine Rivers is a Great Read!

The Lady's Mine by Francine Rivers is an excellent read about a Boston woman being sent to a little mining town out west to claim her uncle's inheritance.  She causes quite the stir when she restarts publishing the newspaper her uncle wrote in spite of being old she was a woman and shouldn't do it.  Just like she pursued starting up a mining operation at the mine she inherited.  Although she is determined never to marry, several men would like to change her mind about that!  

I enjoyed this book very much!  It is well written and moves along with a good mix of action, interesting characters, humor, mystery and romance.  Some lines made me laugh out loud!  It addresses the issue of women's rights and shows how people can bring about change to a community.  I had a hard time putting it down and always looked forward to getting back to it.  This has clean language and no raunchy love scenes.  It even has questions at the end for book club discussions.  I highly recommend this one! (Karen's review, 5 stars)

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"The Violin Conspiracy" by Brendan Slocumb

In The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb, Ray McMillian has a dream of becoming a world-class professional violinist against the odds which do not favor him.  He is a poor black man, but thinks he can do it even though it is a white-dominated position he seeks.  I enjoyed this book.  The characters were true-to-life and the story line kept me engaged.  (Gerard's review, 5 stars) 

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"One by One" by Ruth Ware is Really Good!

In One by One by Ruth Ware, a company decides to have a ski and bus meeting weekend.  Tensions are high going in and when a buyout is put on the table, tensions rise to a higher level!  Then the unthinkable happens.  They get snowed in, cut off from the outside world and one of their members is missing!  They have no phones, no electricity and food is low.  

I thought this book was really good!  The story was paced well.  From page to page I did not know what was coming next!  I enjoyed the characters and liked the ending very much!  (Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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