Hey, readers. I read my first Rebecca Zanetti book last year. You Can Run was one of my top reads for 2021. I eagerly awaited the sequel. You Can Hide releases on November 29, but you can pre-order a copy now. I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced reader copy from Net Galley.
My Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Wow! What else can I say about this book? I thought You Can Run, the first of the series, was fantastic. This one surpasses it.
FBI Special Agent Laurel Snow is back in her hometown of Genesis Valley after a brief time in Washington, DC. There’s a serial killer on the loose and his target is highly intelligent professional women. Laurel’s half-sister Abigail is a likely target.
Once again Laurel is paired with Agent Huck Rivers. There is an undeniable chemistry between the two of them. When his ex-fiancée shows up, it creates tension between the two of them. Not only that, Abigail claims interest in Huck.
Readers will see familiar characters and new ones are introduced. I especially liked Nestor, who is not your average computer geek.
Zanetti throws in clues to keep the reader guessing the killer’s identity, and it wasn’t until the last few chapters of the book that I figured it out. While this book wrapped up with a satisfactory ending, the author left some things open that I hope will be addressed in future books.
After all, “What’s the likelihood of two serial killers working in our small Genesis Valley within months of each other?”
A solid five stars from me.
Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for an advanced reader copy.
Wow! We’ve almost reached the month of May. I read several books during the month of April, so like last month, I’m splitting my reviews into two posts. Here’s part one.
Mercy Falls
⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3 out of 5.
Many of you know I’ve gotten hooked on the Cork O’Connor series. I actually finished reading Mercy Falls in March, but I had a reason for withholding my review until now.
I won’t say I’m totally disappointed in this book, but the ending left me frustrated.
Mercy Falls is the fifth book in the Cork O’Connor series. The story takes place several months after book four leaves off.
Cork O’Connor has been reinstated as sheriff of Tamarack County. He’s lured to the nearby Ojibwe Reservation to investigate a domestic disturbance. Upon arriving at the residence, a sniper fires at Cork and Deputy Marcia Dross.
Not long afterward, Cork is called to the scene where a mutilated body is found near the waters of Mercy Falls. The victim is Eddie Jacoby, a Chicago businessman who is trying to negotiate a contract with his employer to manage the Iron Lake Casino.
Eddie’s wealthy father hires a private investigator to assist with the case. Cork also learns his wife Jo once had a relationship with Eddie’s brother.
Is the sniper’s attempt to kill Cork related to the murder? Can Cork trust the private investigator? Who is out to get him and why?
Like most of Krueger’s books, this one kept me turning the pages. I honestly didn’t know who to trust. Although Eddie Jacoby gave plenty of people a reason to kill him, I wasn’t sure about the killer’s identity until the latter part of the book. So far, so good.
Then came the end.
I like series fiction, but I’m not a fan of serial fiction. Mercy Falls leaves readers with a cliffhanger ending. Hopefully, everything will be resolved in book six, Copper River. It’s a good thing I bought both books as part of a collection, otherwise, I might be tempted to skip the next one.
After reading Rebecca Zanetti’s You Can Run late last year, I knew she was an author I wanted to read again. The book releases on June 7 and is available for pre-order.
Unforgiven is the fifth book of Zanetti’s Deep Ops series. Although I’ve yet to read the first four books, this one easily read as a stand-alone novel.
Gemma Falls is on the run from her abusive former fiancé, Monty. She’ll do anything to keep her daughter safe. So far, she’s managed to protect Trudy, but when she takes a job at a Washington, DC university, things begin happening to make her believe Monty has finally caught up with her.
Jethro Hansen is a former MI6 agent who is working as a philosophy professor. Troubles arise when his psychotic brother Fletcher, a hired killer, escapes from prison. And Fletcher is out for revenge.
Sparks fly in more ways than one when Gemma and Jethro meet. And both of them are in danger. Jethro takes Gemma to a safe house where members of the Deep Ops team become involved in trying to track down a killer while protecting Gemma and her daughter.
The book is well-paced with plenty of action and a touch of romance. It’s a page-turner, and I found the ending satisfying. It goes without saying I’ll be catching up with all the books of the Deep Ops series.
Next on the list is another in C. S. Boyack’s highly entertaining Hat series.
Good Liniment is the latest entry in The Hat series. Author C. S. Boyack brought back characters from other books including the stuttering vampire Kevin, Detective Joe Yoder, and Patty Hall from Will O’ The Wisp. New characters come on board as well that add to the story.
Lizzie and the Hat are on the search for a killer who is targeting a coven of witches. This time the killer is human, a bit of a twist from the villains in the other hat books.
The banter between Lizzie and The Hat is always entertaining, and the Hat is his usual snarky self. (Would we love him any other way?)
I’m always impressed by the author’s vivid imagination. If you’re looking for a quick and fun read, this is it.
After Mercy Falls ended on a cliffhanger, I was curious to see if the mystery would be solved in Copper River.
Book Six of the series picks up immediately where Mercy Falls leaves off. Sheriff Cork O’Connor is on the run after Lou Jacoby placed a half-million-dollar bounty on his life. Jacoby believes Cork is responsible for the death of both his sons.
Cork narrowly escapes death and takes refuge with his cousin Jewell DuBois in a small town on Michigan’s upper peninsula. Jewell is a widowed single mother, raising her teenage son.
Instead of lying low, Cork gets involved in helping Jewell’s son Ren and his friend Charlie (Charlene). Charlie’s father was murdered and she’s on the run. One of their friends was seriously injured by a hit and run driver after word got out the three of them may have seen a body floating in Copper River. Then, the body of a teenage girl washes up that has connections with Charlie.
Cork has his own problems, and former FBI agent, Dina Willner, shows up to help. Like the other books in the O’Connor series, there was plenty of action in this one. I missed some of the familiar characters from the other books, particularly Henry Melloux and Cork’s family. At the same time, it was nice to see new characters introduced. I wouldn’t mind seeing some of them make appearances in later books.
While I didn’t enjoy this one as much as some of the other books in the series, it was still a good read. The focus was on the current crime in Michigan, but there was a satisfactory conclusion to the cliffhanger Krueger left us with at the end of Mercy Falls. However, I hope there aren’t any more cliffhangers in the rest of the series.
Hey, everyone. With 2021 rapidly coming to a close, I wanted to take time to share my top reads for the year.
I’ll preface this post by saying I’ve read many enjoyable books this past year, but there are a few that really stood out for me—ones I’ll remember in the days and months to come.
These are listed in the order I read them.
An Unwanted Guest
This was my first time reading anything by Shari Lapena. The setting is an old-fashioned hotel where there are no modern amenities such as cell phones during the middle of a winter storm. It was a mere coincidence that I finished the book just prior to being stuck at home because Snowmageddon hit Texas in February.
The Curse of Deadhorse Canyon
I’ve been fascinated by Native American culture for quite some time, so this book particularly intrigued me. Co-written by Marcha Fox and Pete Risingsun, the book has elements of murder, a government conspiracy, greed, environmental issues, and Native American legends. The second book of this series was recently released, and I’ve already snagged my copy.
She Lies Alone
I discovered the author of She Lies Alone in early 2021 and have since read four of her psychological fiction books. When a writer keeps me guessing as to the killer’s identity, it’s a big plus for me. Laura Wolfe has become one of my auto-buy authors
Death in Panama
I enjoy reading a good legal thriller on occasion. I learned of Death in Panama through fellow author Jan Sikes sometime last year. I had the book on my Kindle for several months, but when I did read it, I wasn’t disappointed. William Venema is a retired attorney and I look forward to more from this author.
The Guilty Husband
I discovered this book through Book Bub. This debut novel of author Stephanie DeCarolis did not disappoint. While I don’t condone extra-marital affairs, I couldn’t help but root for the main character, Vince. And the ending totally surprised me.
Iron Lake
When Judi Lynn wrote a review of this book, I was intrigued enough to buy a copy. William Kent Kruger’s Iron Lake was written and first published in the late 1990s. It’s the first of his Cork O’Connor mysteries and also includes elements of Native American folklore.
Home Before Dark
I read Riley Sager’s latest release, Survive the Night, and it didn’t do much for me. But Mae Clair encouraged me to try Home Before Dark, so I checked out a copy from my local library. How can you go wrong where the setting is a house with a mysterious past that’s been abandoned for twenty-five years and is possibly haunted?
You Can Run
After reading Staci Troilo’s review of this upcoming release by Rebecca Zanetti, I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced reader copy. There is mystery and suspense (my favorite genre) with a touch of romance. The book releases in January, and I highly recommend it. It’s the first of Zanetti’s Laurel Snow series and you can bet I’ll be reading the next book.
We Live Next Door
Wrapping up the list is another novel from Laura Wolfe. This was another page-turning psychological thriller set in a small-town neighborhood where things aren’t always as they seem.
That’s it for my top 2021 reads. What are some favorite books you’ve read this year?
The past few weeks, I’ve concentrated more on writing so my reading time has been limited. I requested an advanced reader copy of You Can Run from Net Galley after reading a friend’s review. I’m thrilled to have been approved for it. The book releases on January 25, 2022
Blurb
Laurel Snow wouldn’t call hunting a serial killer a vacation, but with a pile of dead bodies unearthed near her Genesis Valley, WA, hometown, she’ll take what she can get. Yet something about this case stirs her in unexpected ways. Like the startling connection she feels to Dr. Abigail Caine, a fiercely intelligent witness with a disturbing knack for making Laurel feel like she has something on her. Then there’s Laurel’s attraction to Huck Rivers, the fish and wildlife officer guiding her to the crime scene—and into the wilderness . . .
A former soldier and a trained sniper, Huck seems to have his own secrets, not least of which are his whereabouts the night yet another woman disappears. And when the body is dumped where Laurel can’t help but find it, she knows this cat and mouse game is deeply personal . . .
Once in the heart of darkness with Huck, Laurel must negotiate her conflicting feelings for him, her complex rapport with Abigail—and her mission to find a serial killer among a growing list of suspects and a danger that’s far too close to home. So close in fact, Laurel fears she will never find her way back to the woman she once was . . .
My Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Mystery and Suspense is my favorite genre to read, especially when there’s a touch of romance, so you can bet I was excited to read Rebecca Zanetti’s You Can Run.
FBI Agent Laurel Snow receives a phone call from her mother stating her uncle is a suspect in the deaths of several women. Laurel requests to be assigned to the case and returns to her hometown of Genesis Valley, Washington.
Once there, she meets Fish and Wildlife officer Huck Rivers. Laurel is a genius, having finished high school at the age of eleven. Huck is a loner who works primarily in search and rescue missions. He has his own demons from the past to deal with.
The two of them are teamed together to find a serial killer. As you can imagine, sparks fly (in more ways than one).
I like the author’s development of the main characters. Secondary characters are equally intriguing, and I kept trying to guess the killer’s identity up to the end. The story is set in the winter when the climate is brutal and that adds to the suspense.
You Can Run reaches a satisfying conclusion and leaves the story open for future books in the series. I for one look forward to reading more about Laurel and Huck.
Five stars for this one, and I count it as one of my favorite reads this year. Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Books for an advanced reader copy.
Joan Hall 
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