Blog Archives
Before It’s Too Late by Sara Driscoll
Title: Before It’s Too Late
Author: Sara Driscoll
Series: FBI K-9 #2
Publish Date: September 25, 2018
Source: reviewer bough from Audible.com
Publisher’s Description: Somewhere in the Washington, D.C. area, a woman lies helpless in a box. Barely breathing. Buried alive. In Quantico, the FBI receives a coded message from the woman’s abductor. He wants to play a game: decipher the clues, save the girl. The FBI’s top cryptanalysts crack the code and Special Agent Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, scramble to the scene of the crime—too late. But the killer’s game is far from over . . .
Another message, another victim. The deadly pattern is repeated—again and again. As the body count mounts, Meg decides to break protocol and bring in her brilliant sister, Cara, a genius at word games, to decipher the kidnapper’s twisted clues. Meg knows she’s risking her career to do it, but she’s determined not to let one more person die under her and Hawk’s watch. If the plan fails, it could bite them in the end. And if it leads to the killer, it could bury them forever . . .
Nervous Nellie’s nervousness necessitates knowledge of the novel. In other words …SPOILERS. *BEWARE*
Nervous Nellie says…
This story is ENTIRELY different than the first book. This isn’t a cookie cutter mystery series, for sure! The premise is very disturbing as the killer is asphyxiates his victims in a myriad of different ways but each victim has a remarkable resemblance to Meg. If I remember correctly, only one of several victims die thanks to Meg’s sister and Clay McCord. Meg’s sister Kara is incredible with puzzles and all the notes the killer leaves are encrypted PLUS McCord is a whiz at civil war history. Those two work together amazingly well so therein starts the romance. Todd Webb makes his move on Meg, but all of this romance is not the center of the book. The center of these books (that I’ve discovered so far) deal with the mystery and the chase of the killer. This book did not disappoint me in the least as it was the same fast paced and a great storyline.
Again, there was no sex, some foul language, a lot of close calls of death and a crazy twist at the end for the killer. I thought I had it figured out, but in the end I was close but sadly no cigar for me. Oh, and those of you who are like me and HATE cliffhangers? There is none. So far, each book finishes the case but the character building keeps evolving. Also, the narrator Angela Dawe was incredible as in the first book.
Our reviews in this series…
- Lone Wolf by Sara Driscoll
Follow One Book Two on Social Media via:
Lone Wolf by Sara Driscoll
I picked up this book on Kindle Unlimited quite awhile ago. Surely can’t figure out why I waited so long to read it!
Title: Loan Wolf
Author: Sara Driscoll
Series: FBI K-9 #1
Publish Date: August 29, 2017
Source: Kindle Unlimited @ Amazon
Publisher’s Description: Meg and Hawk are part of the FBI’s elite K-9 unit. Hawk can sniff out bodies anywhere—living or dead. When a bomb rips apart a government building in Washington D.C., it takes all of the team’s extensive search-and-rescue training to locate and save the workers and visitors buried beneath the rubble.
But even as the duo are hailed as heroes, a bomber remains at large, striking terror in a widening spiral of unpredictability. As more bombs are detonated and the body count escalates, Meg and Hawk are assigned to a task force dedicated to stopping the unseen killer. It will come down to a battle of wits and survival skills between Meg, Hawk, and the bomber they’re tracking to rescue a nation from the brink of chaos.
Nervous Nellie’s nervousness necessitates knowledge of the novel. In other words …SPOILERS. *BEWARE*
Nervous Nellie says…
I love animals and it just so happens on my summer reading bingo card, one of the squares is to read a book with an animal in it. I figured I’d start the book and if I didn’t like it, I wasn’t out anything. Oh, MAN! I would have spent full price for this book! It was a page turner and I loved it!
Meg is a K-9 handler for the FBI and Hawk is a black lab rescue that she’s taught search and rescue. I gotta tell ya that I’d LOVE to have that training skill. Anyway, this story is about a homegrown terrorist bombing public buildings. Meg meets Todd Web and Clay McCord. Clay McCord is instrumental in helping to solve the case even though tensions are high with him being a reporter for the Washington Post.
The story was sad as much as satisfying in the end. The end didn’t change all the people who died, but at least the guy got caught and Hawk took a bite out of him. There was no sex, there is some foul language and a lot of death, but the bright light shown on those who survived.
It was a great book – very mystery/thriller but not as thriller-ish as a psychological thriller (those books are INTENSE). Oh and the narrator? Angela Dawe was magnificent! I sunk so far into the story with her narrating, I didn’t even notice her narrating – that’s how good she was!
Follow One Book Two on Social Media via:
The Face of Deception by Iris Johansen
Out of Nell’s comfort zone challenge! I tried a new to me genre. I’m not much into thrillers, but I’m glad I started with this one!
Title: The Face of Deception
Author: Iris Johansen
Series: Eve Duncan #1
Publish Date: 1999
Source: reviewer borrowed from library
Publisher’s Description: An unidentified skull…
A trail of terrifying secrets…
And a woman whose talented hands could reveal the shocking truth…
As a forensic sculptor, Eve Duncan helps identify the dead from their skulls. Her own daughter murdered and her body never found, the job is Eve’s way of coming to terms with her personal nightmare. But more terror lies ahead when she accepts work from billionaire John Logan. Beneath her gifted hands a face emerges from the skull he has given her to reconstruct—a face no one was ever meant to see. Now Eve is trapped in a frightening web of murder and deceit. Powerful enemies are determined to cover up the truth, and they will make certain that truth goes to the grave…even if Eve gets buried with it.
Nervous Nellie’s nervousness necessitates knowledge of the novel. In other words …SPOILERS. *BEWARE*
Nervous Nellie says…
This was a VERY good read. I finished it in 2 days and that’s practically a miracle for me anymore. Ruby Lee and I were disappointed that the library didn’t have it’s annual book bingo game this year so we made our own. The first challenge I had was to read a book that she has already read. I picked this one. I was not sorry. This book has action all the way through. The heroine is a bit um…nieve is the word I think I want to use. She had a hard childhood, she was a mother at 16, she had a mother on drugs but yet she can’t accept that her friend that was a Navy SEAL and is now a cop killed anybody? Mmmm…that one is a bit hard to swallow. She’s also very strong willed and a take control kind of woman who lost her child to a murderer, but she doesn’t want to believe a side to her friend that we all know exists? And this friend of hers who I KNOW FOR A FACT thinks himself more than a friend but doesn’t show it? What the hell? And then he married a different woman who he didn’t love instead? What’s up with that? I don’t get that at all. That relationship is messed up.
Anyway, the story was action packed, like I said. I mean page turning action packed. Yes, there was murder – multiples. The author didn’t pull any punches when she lets you get to know a character and then kills him off. Brutal that was…geez. So, the premise is kind of politically directed and the end intent of the master villain was sort of noble, but they went far too far with their secret. Of course, I didn’t find out about this until towards the end. That part was kind of a whaaaa? kind of moment. There was no sex, there was no swearing if any at all. I read a couple of reviews where the reader didn’t want any kind of romance in the book, but I didn’t actually feel much romance. The two heroes of the book would like to keep the heroine for themselves, but the one lost his chance when he married and this new guy kinda screwed it up by nearly getting her killed. I thought there was the right amount of romance for a thriller. It was a good book. I’d give it 5 stars for keeping me entertained.
Follow One Book Two on Social Media via:
Eden’s Wake by Lyn Steigleder
Get ready for book 2 in this thriller like sci-fi.
I received an ARC or review copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.
Title: Eden’s Wake
Author: Lynn Steigleder
Series: The Rising Tide Series 02
Publish Date: May 2015
Genre: Sci-fi, Thriller
Source: Provided by author
Publisher’s Description: Ben’s best friend is killed in an underwater implosion on a dying world. Living to die again, the two men reunite and battle for an ancient artifact, a relic which will ensure this planet’s survival. Ben crosses a threshold. The world he leaves—doomed; the world he enters—reborn. His wife, Eve, and their bumbling charge, Eleazor, follow Ben through the doorway and blindly into the void. This is Book Two in the Rising Tide series.
Luna Lovebooks says…
I was originally approached by Mr. Steigleder to review Terminal Core and he offered Rising Tide as well.
While I see hard core science fiction fans liking/loving this novel/series, I often found myself confused while I was reading. The plot mixes dystopian, sci-fi and spiritual themes and tropes. There are allusions to Christianity’s stories, but they are not super clear; at least to me. The many creatures with unique names were also hard to keep straight. However, if you love worlds where good and evil are still found in large supplies and stories that have similarities to the Christian faith then this book is for you.
I had to take a step back and look at this from a different perspective to give it a true rating since I had difficulties keeping things straight. After looking back over my notes and re-reading parts of the novel, I can safely say that I give this installment 3 stars.
Our reviews in this series…
Other recommendations…
Check out these other great reads: Left Behind by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
I received an ARC or review copy of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.
Bleak Harbor by Bryan Gruley
Bleak Harbor is a fast paced who-done-it with a twist as the kidnapped child in question is on the autism spectrum.
Title: Bleak Harbor
Author: Bryan Gruley
Series: Bleak Harbor #1
Publish Date: December 1, 2018
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Publisher’s Description: Their son is gone. Deep down, they think they’re to blame.
Summertime in Bleak Harbor means tourists, overpriced restaurants, and the Dragonfly Festival. One day before the much-awaited and equally chaotic celebration, Danny Peters, the youngest member of the family that founded the town five generations ago, disappears.
When Danny’s mother, Carey, and stepfather, Pete, receive a photo of their brilliant, autistic, and socially withdrawn son tied to a chair, they fear the worst. But there’s also more to the story. Someone is sending them ominous texts and emails filled with information no one else should have. Could the secrets they’ve kept hidden—even from one another—have led to Danny’s abduction?
As pressure from the kidnapper mounts, Carey and Pete must face their own ugly mistakes to find their son before he’s taken from them forever.
Agent Annie says…
Bleak Harbor is a fast paced who-done-it with a twist as the kidnapped child in question is on the autism spectrum. I enjoyed the family dynamics of a mother, son and step father and all the various entanglements they each are caught up in. I was definitely kept guessing as to who did the kidnapping. Unfortunately, I thought the last quarter of the book introduced too many possibilities and added more characters than I could keep track of. Many of whom seemed just a distraction to the main story. I also thought the final reveal and the manner in which the kidnapping was pulled off was too complicated and I found myself doubting that the character was given enough backstory to make it believable. I also felt a connection to the small town on the shore of Great Lake Michigan since I am familiar with actual towns that are in the same locale. The history of the town and the matriarch’s interaction with the townspeople was well done and I appreciated the “justice” that was meted out at the end. I would give this book 3.5.
Follow One Book Two on Social Media via:
One Book Two 