Night Falls on Predicament Avenue by Jaime Jo Wright

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Romance, Split Time
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: April 2024

1910

Effie James’ sister falls into a catatonic state after witnessing a horrific crime. Effie is determined to protect her from a killer’s reprisal. The problem is no body has been found and no one believes her. When a British gentleman arrives in town searching for his missing wife who was last seen at none other than 322 Predicament Avenue, the scene of the murder, he believes Effie. However, her relief is short lived when their search for the truth uncovers secrets some have already killed for.

Present Day

Drowning under the weight of social anxiety and grief, Norah Richman struggles to run her late great-aunt’s bed and breakfast at 322 Predicament Avenue. Norah longs to escape the haunted building and all its memories, but she is determined to keep her murdered sister’s dream alive. BnB guest and podcaster Sebastian Blaine’s investigation into the past pokes dormant ghosts back to life, threatening to bring death once more to the doorstep of 322 Predicament Avenue.

Jaime Jo Wright returns with another gothic tale that will keep you guessing until the end. As always, the author pens vivid settings that transport the reader deep into other worlds and time periods. It’s no secret that I love pretty much everything about her books—the unique characters, creepy mysteries, mind-twisting plots—but the settings are hands down my favorite. They stick with me long, and I mean LONG after finishing the last page. I have read all Wright’s stories and her early books stick with me as clearly as her latest ones.

Night Falls on Predicament Avenue delivers all Wright’s trademark elements—ghouls of the human kind, breath-snatching mysteries, and of course a message of hope. I strongly recommend Wright’s novels to readers who enjoy stories on the eerie side that don’t sacrifice morality and faith.

Review copy provided as part of the Austenprose Book Tour. Thank you!

The Garden Girls (FBI: Strange Crimes Unit #3) by Jessica R. Patch

Genre: Mystery, Romance, Psychological Thriller
Publisher: Love Inspired Trade
Publication Date: April 2024

In his youth, Tiberius Granger escaped a cult. The girl he loved wasn’t so fortunate. Now an FBI agent, he hunts monsters, unravels the macabre, and seeks justice for the victims. His latest case has him on the trail of The Artist, a deranged serial killer who kidnaps women, tattooing them with flowers that match their names and posing them in front of lighthouses. A shocking connection to his past brings him face to face with Bexley Hemmingway, the woman he had loved and believed dead, and a teenaged son he never knew existed. But to find Bex’s missing sister, Ty must push beyond the hurt, anger, and betrayal, and return to a place he’d hoped never to revisit.

Wow, wow, WOW! A psychological thriller through and through, reading The Garden Girls feels likes stepping into an episode of Criminal Minds. This adrenaline-pumping tale snatches the reader’s breath from the first page as a twisted villain, broken protagonists, and mind-bending plot comes to life, all filtered through a lens of hope.

A gifted wordsmith, Jessica R. Patch painted the setting with such vibrant strokes, it became its own entity. The images rose around me as vividly as any of the characters. And no, the lighthouse didn’t bias this beacon-loving reader, though I reveled in that addition. Patch penned the Outer Banks, the storm, everything so expertly that I was transported into their midst. Even now, long after finishing the book, I still feel the rain drenching my clothes and the wind whipping my face.

The ending wrecked me as it depicted a beautiful reflection of God’s love. Have a box of tissues and your heart ready to go through the wringer.

I only discovered Patch a year ago, but she immediately skyrocketed to one of my favorite psychological thriller authors. While this story could potentially stand alone, I recommend starting with Her Darkest Secret and A Cry in the Dark, not only to fully understand the characters but because this series is too good to miss any part of it.

Review copy provided by publisher via NetGalley. Thanks!

Fragile Designs by Colleen Coble

Genre: Mystery, Romance
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Publication Date: January 2024

Widow Carly Harris barely scrapes a living for herself and her infant son on her unpredictable career as an antique dealer. When her grandmother suggests that she and her sisters renovate the family’s large home and convert it into a bed and breakfast, she moves to Beaufort and begins the task of cleaning out the house. As she works, she finds a secret her late husband Eric hid — one that points toward her family’s unknown history and a possible connection to Eric’s enigmatic murder.

With the help of Lucas Bennet, her next door neighbor and a homicide detective, Carly embarks on the hunt for the provenance of a family heirloom she believes to be a lost Fabergé egg. However, the quest for the truth can come at a high price, including the cost of those she loves.

Fragile Designs delivers a tangled mystery that scales from small-town USA to Russian Mafia. Having heard great things about Colleen Coble’s books, I excitedly delved into this book. The plot, however, felt a bit too implausible. I enjoyed the antique heirloom angle, the few glimpses we got of the B and B remodeling, and the complicated family dynamics. But as the scope widened to incorporate mobsters and international crime, it became too farfetched.

Nonetheless, it provided an entertaining read that suspense and mystery fans can enjoy. I definitely want to give another one of her books a try, especially one that sticks with small-town issues and family/community relationships since I did enjoy those parts.

Review copy provided by publisher via NetGalley. Thanks!

Double Take (Lake City Heroes #1) by Lynette Eason

Genre: Mystery, Romance
Publisher: Revell
Publication Date: January 2024

Laine Jackson survived a murder attempt at the hands of her ex when she managed to grab the weapon and kill him instead. Eighteen months later, she is starting to piece her life back together except now she keeps seeing his face everywhere, and someone is trying to kill her.

Detective James Cross joined the Lake City Police Department after being honorably discharged from the military due to wounds sustained on duty. He is working on figuring out life after the military and navigating family dynamics. When it becomes evident that someone wants Laine dead, he determines to find the threat and keep Laine safe at all costs.

It’s been a while since I picked up a Lynette Eason novel, and after reading Double Take, I’m wondering why. She’s a master at creating page turners. I zoomed through this fast-paced mystery. Intriguing characters, vivid settings, and riveting suspense left me clamoring for more.

My one issue is that the villain and his motives remain hidden until almost the end so the reader doesn’t really have the opportunity to uncover his identity. While I love reaching a reveal and not knowing whodunit, I want it to be because I didn’t figure it out, not because the clues are lacking or come too late. Nonetheless, that didn’t keep me from enjoying this story as attested in the fact that I read it within 24 hours. I definitely recommend this to mystery and suspense fans who want edge-of-the-seat but not gruesome. Personally, I can’t wait for book two.

Review copy provided by publisher via NetGalley. Thanks!

Into the Fire (Undaunted Courage Book 1) by Irene Hannon

Genre: Mystery, Romance
Publisher: Revell
Publication Date: October 2023

A tragic accident ended Bri Tucker’s career as a smokejumper. Now an arson investigator, she applies her knowledge and instincts to piece together fire scenes. When a blaze claims the life of a former colleague, Bri is paired with ATF Special Agent Marc Davis to uncover whether it was an accident or murder. As their quest leads to other questionable fires and deaths, strange things start happening in Bri’s life, and it becomes evident that someone doesn’t want the truth to emerge.

Intrigued by the fire angle, I hurried to pick up Irene Hannon’s latest book. Into the Fire delivered an entertaining story that won’t become a reread. Leaning more heavily toward romance than suspense, the relationship between the protagonists never quite made it off the page for me. Their lack of chemistry and connection made their instalove unbelievable. The mystery was decent but didn’t feel like anything we haven’t seen many times over.

While the story needed more depth to go beyond an okay read for me, I can see romantic suspense readers liking Into the Fire, especially if looking for something quick and light.

Review copy provided by publisher via NetGalley. Thanks!