“Middletide”Sarah Crouch

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. ebook. Atria (Simon & Schuster). To be published June 11, 2024.

The day Erin’s body was found hanging from a tree beside a lake on Elijah’s property was the day his life changed forever. After failing as a writer, with no income, Elijah decided to return to the small town where he’d grown up and live in his father’s cabin in the woods. There memories assailed him of Nikita, the only girl he’d ever loved and the promise he’d broken to return to her after he finished college.

Nikita had grown into a beautiful woman and had just lost her husband. Seeing each other was hard, but Elijah wanted more than she could give. When she couldn’t commit, he decided to date someone else. The newly single town doctor was beautiful but, soon after they started dating, Elijah realized she was the wrong woman for him. He would soon find out that the short time they dated would be the biggest regret of his life.

At first the storyline was hard to follow because it was told over multiple points of views through several different timeframes. Once I got used to the author’s style of writing, it was easier to understand Elijah’s timeline. This gripping, mystery thriller about a man falsely accused of murdering the beautiful and beloved doctor of his small town will keep readers on the edges of their seats as they try to figure out whodunit. 

Recommended for Adults.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review.

“The moonlit vine” Elizabeth Santiago

Rated 5 stars ***** Tu Books (Lee & Low Books). 2023. 360 p. (Includes “Author’s note,” “Anacaona and Caonabo ancestry,” “Key moments in Puerto Rican history,” “Inspiring Boriqueños,” and “References.”)

The native Arawak lived in Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica, before Columbus and his conquistadores arrived. There are several theories on how they became known as Taíno including that they shouted “tayno,” meaning “good people,” to an incoming Spanish ship. Over the next 25 years their population was severely decimated through disease, massacre, and slavery, reducing their numbers from millions to 32,000 by the year 1514. It had been thought the Taíno were extinct, but a 2018 National Geographic article explained they assimilated and aren’t extinct because their DNA is found in living people – including yours truly.

Knowing this background information made “The moonlit vine” especially interesting as I read about fourteen-year-old Taína’s quest to defend herself and her family from injustices in their neighborhood and schools. Taína comes from a long line of proud Taíno women, direct descendants of Anacaona, a powerful leader murdered by Spaniards soon after Columbus’ arrival on Haiti. Anacaona gave an amulet and zemi to her daughter for protection, with instructions for them to be passed on through time to women in her family who would remember the knowledge of their proud past as their future power.

Over the centuries these precious artifacts and memories of their heritage were passed on until Taína received them from her grandmother. Though fearful at first, she soon learned of the powerful strength of her ancestors in a life-or-death situation.

I absolutely LOVED this book! Taína’s story, as well as historical chapters of women who came after Anacaona, kept me riveted.

Highly recommended for ages 14 and older.

The night war” Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Rated 5 stars ARC. Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin Random House). To be published April 9, 2024. 281 p. (Includes “Author’s note.”)

Miriam and her parents lived in Germany until forced to flee to Paris after Kristallnacht when she was eight years old. After living in cramped quarters for four years, food supplies were dwindling, and her father was forced to go into hiding. Soon afterwards she was separated from her mother when the French police rounded up everyone and sent them to the Velodrome d’Hiver for deportation. During the confusion Miriam’s neighbor urged her to save her two-year-old daughter Nora and flee to Switzerland. Unsure of what to do, Miriam took Nora and tried to mingle with the onlookers. After being spotted by a German soldier, they were rescued by a young nun.

In time, Miriam was sent to a convent school and separated from Nora. To survive she needed to forget her Jewishness, but her failure to protect Nora and escape to Switzerland haunted her waking moments. After Sister Dominique took her to visit the nearby castle of Chenonceau, things changed when she became involved in the Resistance and met the ghost of Catherine de Medici.

With the addition of a ghost, young readers learn about France’s history as well as its role in World War II.

Recommended for ages 11-14.

“The house on Biscayne Bay” Chanel Cleeton

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. ebook. Berkley (Penguin Random House). (Includes “Author’s Note.”) To be published April 9, 2024.

Henry Flagler had just built his railroad, and people were starting to trek down to Southern Florida. After twenty-two years of marriage Anne thought she knew her husband very well but was shocked when he presented her with “Marbrisa” by Biscayne Bay. She hated Florida on sight and couldn’t understand why he’d want to build a lavish 61 room home in the middle of nowhere. With the Great War over he believed Florida was going to be a huge tourist draw and was determined to build the biggest house in Miami as his legacy. Anna didn’t know that, because of him, Marbrisa would forever be associated with the events of one spine-chilling evening.

America was on the verge of war in 1941, and Carmen was on her way from Havana to join her sister Caroline in Florida after her parent’s deaths. Her older sister had married a rich American who bought a huge estate named “Marbrisa,” which was unwelcoming and foreboding. When Carmen found out animals were being killed and two women had been murdered there over the years, she was fearful. Within days her life was turned upside down and, as she tried to figure out who was behind the catastrophe, she didn’t know the killer had his eyes set on her.

This page-turning thriller told through Carmen and Anna’s alternating voices had me sitting on the edge of my seat. I was sure I knew who the murderer was but kept being foiled. The author did a great job keeping that identity hidden until the book’s final, gripping pages.

Highly recommended for Adults.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“Gator country: Deception, danger, and alligators in the Everglades” Rebecca Renner

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. ebook. Flatiron Books. Published November 14, 2023.

The Everglades used to encompass 4000 square miles, home to countless insects, birds, trees, plants, and alligators. The craze for hat feathers in the Victorian era caused birds to be killed by the millions, many to extinction. The unrelenting slaughter was followed by draining water that had given life for millennia to the Everglades. Florida’s population was increasing so, with farmland considered more profitable than swampland, the Everglades’ land, as well as its flora and fauna, began to decrease.

To combat this loss Everglades National Park was established in 1947. Hunting without a license was now illegal. Gladesmen, who had made their living there for generations, didn’t take kindly to the laws so didn’t change their lifestyles. Often arrested or fined for poaching, they continued to hunt for their families while conserving the land in which they’d lived their entire lives.

It was into this world that Jeff Babauta, an officer with the Florida Wildlife Commission’s (FWC) Division of Law Enforcement, was thrust. Alligators had almost been hunted to extinction, and they had to protect the ones in the Everglades. After learning that thousands of alligator eggs were illegally being poached, Jeff’s job was to go undercover and find the thieves. For more than a year he lived in the Everglades, creating a persona as an alligator farmer. His love for nature, and his job, conflicted with his understanding of the needs of the Gladesmen to survive. “Gator country” is their story, as well as the story of the Everglades.

The author immersed herself in the points of view of not only the Gladesmen and Jeff, but of the Everglades and her love for nature. The greed of man caused the Everglades to dwindle to less than half of its original size, losing 70% of its water flow over the years. “Gator country” reminds us of its history, as well as its continued potential for greatness.

Highly recommended for Adults.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

“I am not alone” Francisco X. Stork

Rated 5 stars ***** ARC. Scholastic Press (Scholastic). 306 p. (Includes “Author’s note” and “Mental health and Crisis resources.” Published July 18, 2023.

Alberto is 18 and has been living illegally in the United States for three years with his sister and her young son. He works at odd jobs, sending half of his earnings to his mother and sister in Mexico, while trying to earn his high school equivalency diploma. Alberto was upset when he started to hear a voice calling him names or telling him to do bad things. Hoping to keep the voice at a distance he called it Captain America, but the voice grew louder. When a woman was murdered at a job he was working, Alberto couldn’t remember what happened. The police wanted to arrest him, but Alberto went on the run – hoping to prove his innocence.

Grace had her life planned out. In a few months she would graduate, attend college with her boyfriend, and become a psychiatrist. When her parents divorced, she seemed to lose focus. School and her boyfriend paled in importance as she struggled to figure out her place in the world. When she met Alberto, he was cleaning the windows in her apartment and seemed nice. They shared time together making pottery which he’d learned how to do in Mexico, so Grace was surprised to hear he was accused of murder.

His illegal status, the voices he heard, and the murder accusation were red flags signaling her to stay far away, but Grace was certain she needed to help him. However, time is running out because Captain America has decided Alberto doesn’t belong in this world and Alberto is listening to him.

Stork realistically portrays Alberto’s mental state of mind, while Grace’s character depicts a bystander who sees this struggle and decides to either turn away or help. Stork emphasizes not losing sight of the person behind a mental illness.

I believe this should be a 2023 Pura Belpre Young Adult Author winning title. Here’s hoping the January 2024 announcements from the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards will prove me correct. I will be in attendance that day to root for “I am not alone” to win.

Highly recommended for ages 17 and older.

“Out of the ashes” Kara Thomas

Rated 4 stars **** ebook. Thomas & Mercer.2023.

As soon as she could, Samantha escaped her dead-end town of Carney, New York and moved to Queens. There she made a life for herself as a nurse, always trying, and failing, to bury the tragedy of the murder of her parents, uncle, and little sister twenty-two years earlier. When her uncle’s death brought her back to Carney, Travis Meacham from the N.Y. State Police told her he’d been working on her case and had new leads.

Samantha was skeptical because a local police officer had it in for her family, so she didn’t trust the police. She was sure he had murdered them, especially when she heard more stories of crimes he’d committed on the job. She didn’t think Travis could add anything to the case. When she found out her former best friend was missing, she began questioning her old friends. As a result, another person disappeared, and one was murdered. Someone is not happy Samantha is asking a lot of questions about her family and the missing girls.

This was an interesting book, with a surprise ending.

Recommended for Adults.

“Strangers we know” Elle Marr

Rated 5 stars ***** ebook. Thomas & Mercer. 2022.

Thirty-year-old Ivy was adopted when she was just a few days old and has recently developed a mysterious illness. Both of her adoptive parents dead and she has no information about her birth family’s health history, so submits her DNA to be analyzed. Before she receives the results letting her know she has a cousin, an FBI agent tells her she is related to a serial killer in Washington State who kills during a full moon and asks her to figure out who in her birth family is the murderer.

When Ivy is invited to meet her cousin and extended family, she’s nervous because she also wants to learn about her birth mother. Instead of a possible reunion she learns her mother fell to the serial killer shortly after she was born. She is equally horrified when she finds out many family members belong to a cult. As Ivy seeks out more information about her mother and the murderer, she doesn’t realize that as she gets closer to the truth, the serial killer is getting closer to her. He’ll make sure the upcoming full moon finds him doing what he loves to do best.

This book had me turning pages late into the night, as I couldn’t put it down until I reached its thrilling conclusion. I’m sure you’ll be equally as enthralled.

Recommended for Adults.

“Cleopatra’s dagger” Carole Lawrence

Rated 3 stars *** ebook. Thomas & Mercer. 2022.

New York City in 1880 is a city of contrasts. The squalid conditions of those struggling for survival in its crime-filled tenements are contrasted with the genteel lives of the rich. Twenty-two-year-old Elizabeth van den Broek comes from a well-heeled family, but pretends she’s a regular New Yorker because she has a job her mother hates, and is not pining because she’s not a member of Mrs. Astor’s “Four hundred.” Occasionally she remembers her fancy apartment, rich clothing, and job are all a result of benefitting from her father’s name and wealth, but quickly relegates such thoughts to the back burner because she takes a train to work and doles out dollars and change here and there to those less fortunate.

As the first female crime reporter with the Herald newspaper, Elizabeth faces scorn from many who believe she doesn’t belong in a man’s job. Despite their disdain she’s determined to prove herself by figuring out the identity of a serial killer who is murdering prostitutes and leaving clues related to Egyptology. What she doesn’t know is that the killer has decided it’s time for Elizabeth and him to get a little closer.

I would have given this book 2 stars but, since I like historical fiction and it talked a lot about aspects of life in New York City during the 1880’s, I upped it to 3 stars. The reason I wanted to give it 2 stars was because too many events were tossed into the mix that didn’t have satisfactory endings or didn’t belong with the narrative. See below my spoiler alert if you want to read more about what I mean.

I will leave it up to you Adults to decide if you want to read it or not.

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I didn’t like how Elizabeth was assaulted with no follow through on solving the crime. Also, young John Astor had nothing to do with the storyline, so I have no idea why he kept being included. In addition, what’s the deal with Simon Sneed? He was introduced as “a sleek, slippery sort of person who seemed to leave a trail of slime in his wake, like a slug.” Elizabeth said she felt his eyes on her from her first day at work, and he made her feel “confused, flustered, and unsure of herself.” Lawrence puts him in almost every chapter, with Elizabeth reverting to the opposite of the strong female character she’s supposed to depict. I don’t understand what the point was of him leering and Elizabeth falling apart over it. Wasn’t she supposed to be a strong woman defying all the odds? Anyway, these are just a few of the issues I had with this book.

“Family money” Chad Zunker

Rated 5 stars ***** ebook. Thomas & Mercer. 2022.

Alex was supposed to be enjoying the good life. Joe, his father-in-law, invested $5 million in his new business, which allowed him to stay home more with his lovely wife and daughters as the company expanded. They moved into a luxurious home, went on family vacations, and gave money to their favorite charities. Their trip to Mexico was supposed to be a chance for all of them to do charity work and for his daughters to help others less fortunate. Instead, it turned into a nightmare when Joe was kidnapped and murdered.

As executor of Joe’s estate Alex had to make sure his mother-in-law’s future was settled, but found out Joe was worth much less than he thought, and no one knew he had $5 million. He began to dig for information, but the man he’d thought of as a father had many secrets. It didn’t take long for people involved with his search to get murdered, so Alex will have to decide if it’s worth his family’s future to keep searching for answers or to let sleeping dogs lie.

This book is a nail biter and will keep you rapidly turning pages as you try to figure out what happened to Joe and what will happen next to Alex. So, buckle up because you’re in for a ride!

Recommended for Adults.