The Woman on the Ledge by Ruth Mancini

 

Title: The Woman on the Ledge

Author: Ruth Mancini

Publisher: Harper Paperbacks

Release Date: January 4, 2024

A woman falls to her death from a London bank's twenty-fifth-floor roof terrace.

You're arrested for her murder.

You tell the police that you only met the victim the previous night at your office party. She was threatening to jump from the roof, but you talked her down.

You've got nothing to do with this tragedy.

You're clearly being framed.

So why do the police keep picking holes in your story?

And why doesn't your lawyer seem to believe you?

It soon becomes obvious that you're keeping secrets.

But who are you trying to protect? And why?

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Engrossing and with great twists!

Tate Kinsella is working as a temp in a bank. She's at the bank's Christmas party when she decides to go to the rooftop terrace to smoke a cigarette. It is there where Tate realizes she is not alone. A woman who says her name is Helen is sitting on the lede. She seems to be ready to jump! Tate starts talking to her and convinces her to come down to safety. They leave the party together and spend some time in a bar before calling it a night.

The next day, she gets a call from Helen. Helen has left something at the bank and will Tate mind going back to the office with her. Tate has no idea that this decision will complicate her life immensely. By the end of the night, a woman has fallen from the rooftop and Tate is the prime suspect!

The more Tate talks to the cops, the worse her story becomes. What really happened that night? Did the woman fall to her death on her own or did someone push her? And if so, why?

Ruth Mancini's plot was devised with the right amount of suspense, darkness, secrets, and a more than satisfying conclusion. I couldn't put this one down. The twists were the best!

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Harper Paperbacks via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins

 

Title: The Heiress

Author: Rachel Hawkins

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: January 9, 2024

When RubyMcTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore dies, she’s not only North Carolina’s richest woman, she’s also its most notorious. The victim of a famous kidnapping as a child and a widow four times over, Ruby ruled the tiny town of Tavistock from Ashby House, her family’s estate high in the Blue Ridge mountains. In the aftermath of her death, that estate—along with a nine-figure fortune and the complicated legacy of being a McTavish—pass to her adopted son, Camden.

But to everyone’s surprise, Cam wants little to do with the house or the money—and even less to do with the surviving McTavishes. Instead, he rejects his inheritance, settling into a normal life as an English teacher in Colorado and marrying Jules, a woman just as eager to escape her own messy past.

Ten years later, Camden is a McTavish in name only, but a summons in the wake of his uncle’s death brings him and Jules back into the family fold at Ashby House. Its views are just as stunning as ever, its rooms just as elegant, but coming home reminds Cam why he was so quick to leave in the first place.

Jules, however, has other ideas, and the more she learns about Cam’s estranged family—and the twisted secrets they keep—the more determined she is for her husband to claim everything Ruby once intended for him to have.

But Ruby’s plans were always more complicated than they appeared. As Ashby House tightens its grip on Jules and Camden, questions about the infamous heiress come to light. Was there any truth to the persistent rumors following her disappearance as a girl? What really happened to those four husbands, who all died under mysterious circumstances? And why did she adopt Cam in the first place? Soon, Jules and Cam realize that an inheritance can entail far more than what’s written in a will—and that the bonds of family stretch far beyond the grave.

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I can say that I loved this one!

We get 3 points of view:

The first one is from the letters written by the deceased heiress RubyMcTavish Callahan Woodward Miller Kenmore. She was the sole owner of the McTavish's fortune. She was also abducted when she was a child and returned home to Ashby House after a year of being taken. Ruby never got along with her sister Nelle who seemed to be full of envy and jealousy towards her. Ruby was also married four times and all her husbands died. Did she kill them or did she just have bad luck in love?

The second one is from Camden. Ruby's adopted son. He was bullied while growing up by his cousin Ben and hated by Nelle. As soon as Ruby passed, Camden left for California. Leaving his inheritance behind and working as a teacher he is much happier especially when he meets his future wife, Jules. Then, he is summoned to come back to Ashby House after the passing of his step-uncle.

The third comes from Jules, Camden's wife. She can't wait to move into Ashby House. She feels they deserve the estate and they need to get rid of the people who made Camden's life hell. Yet, things are never that clear once they get there.

The Heiress is an atmospheric and full-of-intrigue novel with perfect-timing twists that had me turning the pages as fast as I could. A winner for sure!

Cliffhanger: No

5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Guests by Margot Hunt

 

Title: The Guests

Author: Margot Hunt

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: January 9, 2024

From USA Today bestselling author Margot Hunt comes the chilling tale of what happens when a family besieged by a storm must play host to uninvited guests.

When a Category 5 hurricane is poised to hit their coastal Florida town, the Davies family takes refuge in their waterfront manse. Marlowe, Lee, and their teenage twins invite their close friends to wait out the storm in comfort and style.

Uninvited are the three strangers who dock on the family’s shore right before the storm descends. Brothers Jason and Bo—and Bo’s girlfriend, Darcy—are a charming, helpful trio in need of a safe haven that the Davies are only too happy to provide.

But as the storm outside grows more threatening, so does the tension in the house.

Soon, the lines between family, friends, and strangers blur. Danger mounts with every pointed finger and broken confidence, and long-held secrets are revealed one after another until only one truth not everyone is going to make it out alive.

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A terrifying situation with deadly consequences.

As a category-5 hurricane approaches Florida, the Davies family is ready to spend it at their waterfront home. After all, the house was built with hurricane standards. Even if this is the wrong decision, it is too late to leave the premises. Traffic is at a standstill with all the people who are trying to evacuate. If they leave now, they will just be experiencing the hurricane winds on the road. Staying at their home should be safer or so they think until a boat carrying three strangers arrives uninvited at their dock.

Two brothers (Bo and Jason) and Bo's girlfriend Darcy join the Davies and their friends who are already in the house. As the storm rages, the possibility that the brothers showed up as a coincidence becomes doubtful and a more menacing plan seems to be in the works.

The Guests had a good amount of suspense and I felt bad for Marlowe and her kids. I was rooting for them to succeed in surviving the night.

I had some issues with the storyline and how naive some of the characters were. The end was too far-fetched for my taste which took some of the enjoyment away from the novel.

Cliffhanger: No

3.5/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston

 

Title: First Lie Wins

Author: Ashley Elston

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books | PENGUIN GROUP Viking

Release Date: January 4, 2024

Evie Porter has everything a nice, Southern girl could want: a perfect, doting boyfriend, a house with a white picket fence and a garden, a fancy group of friends. The only catch: Evie Porter doesn’t exist.

The identity comes to Evie Porter. Once she’s given a name and location by her mysterious boss Mr. Smith, she learns everything there is to know about the town and the people in it. Then the target: Ryan Sumner. The last piece of the puzzle is the job.

Evie isn’t privy to Mr. Smith’s real identity, but she knows this job will be different. Ryan has gotten under her skin, and she’s starting to envision a different sort of life for herself. But Evie can’t make any mistakes--especially after what happened last time.

Because the one thing she’s worked her entire life to keep clean, the one identity she could always go back to—her real identity—just walked right into this town. Evie Porter must stay one step ahead of her past while making sure there’s still a future in front of her. The stakes couldn't be higher--but then, Evie has always liked a challenge...

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Perfectly crafted thriller!

Evie Porter is living the suburban life with her boyfriend, Ryan Sumner. She wishes for a garden and to have a place to call home. She can envision this future with Ryan.

The only problem is that she is not really Evie Porter.

Ryan is the next mark on Mr Smith's list. "Evie" has worked for Mr. Smith for the last few years and her identity is created and changed depending on what he wants from his targets. Evie is the best at what she does but Ryan has made her question her future.

A truly enjoyable thriller from the very first chapter. Ashley Elston has written a fast-paced, twisty-galore, and addictive story that kept me glued to the pages.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Pamela Dorman Books | PENGUIN GROUP Viking via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Please Tell Me by Mike Omer

Title: Please Tell Me

Author: Mike Omer

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Release Date: November 7, 2023

After a year in captivity, a kidnapped child escapes―only to reveal horrific truths that lead her psychologist on a race against time in this thriller from New York Times bestselling author Mike Omer.

When eight-year-old Kathy Stone turns up on the side of the road a year after her abduction, the world awaits her harrowing story. But Kathy doesn’t say a word. Traumatized by her ordeal, she doesn’t speak at all, not even to her own parents.

Child therapist Robin Hart is the only one who’s had success connecting with the girl. Robin has been using play therapy to help Kathy process her memories. But as their work continues, Kathy’s playtime takes a grim turn: a doll looks to stab another doll, a tiny figurine is chained to a plastic toy couch. All of these horrifying moments, enacted within a Victorian doll house. Every session, another toy dies.

But the most disturbing detail?

Kathy seems to be playacting real unsolved murders. Soon Robin wonders if Kathy not only holds the key to the murders of the past but if she knows something about the murders of the future.

Can Robin unlock the secrets in Kathy’s brain and stop a serial killer before he strikes again? Or is Robin’s work with Kathy putting her in the killer’s sights?

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This had a disappointing ending.

The novel begins with a child, Kathy Stone, escaping capture. She had disappeared for a year when she was found wandering around the road at night. Her parents are ecstatic to get her back but Kathy has been non-verbal since returning. Her mother knows she must get help and she believes the local child therapist, Robin Hart, can help her.

Robin followed the case of Kathy's shocking disappearance like the rest of the town. When Kathy's mother asks her to help her daughter, Robin can't say no and takes the case. Robin wants to help Kathy and her play sessions are usually quite successful. As Kathy starts trusting Robin, the therapy process, and her own safety,  her reenactments become too real. It seems that Kathy is reenacting real murders!!

I have a few issues with the story and the characters.

Robin is supposed to be a great therapist but her relationship with her own mother is so dysfunctional and the whole thing with the dollhouse was nuts. Her behavior was beyond childish. You would think she would have learned some coping mechanisms to deal with her crazy mother. 

The worst was where the story went at the end. In my opinion, the big reveal was too out there to be believable.

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.