The Running Bibliophile

The Locked Door by Frieda McFadden opens with surgeon Nora Davis having an old fashioned by herself at the local bar when she reconnects with an ex-boyfriend, who just happens to be the bartender.  But soon after, Nora's patients are turning up dead, and it appears to be a copycat killing.  Who knows her secret? A huge thank you goes out to NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of  The Locked Door by Frieda McFadden.  McFadden had become one of my favorite authors, so when my request to read this book was approved, I was absolutely ecstatic.  I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review. Wow!  This book kept me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn't wait to figure out who was the copycat killer.  I had it narrowed down to two different people, and it ended up not being either of the people I thought it might be.  When the killer was revealed, I was absolutely shocked!   The main character, Nora Davis, was a bit...

Exile, Texas by Rachel Caine was originally published in 1993 under her real name of Roxanne Longstreet Conrad.  Megan Leary, a private investigator, returns to her home where everyone thinks she got away with the murder of her mother.  When transplant Deputy Dan Fox pulls her over for speeding, he's not sure what to think about her and is on a mission to learn more about her while he's tasked to protect her from the locals. When I received an email from BookBub.com telling me that Exile, Texas was on sale for $4.99, I knew I had to purchase the book as I'm a huge fan of Rachel Caine and her Stillhouse Lake series, but I hadn't read any of her other works.  Based on her writing of the the aforementioned book series, I felt certain that this novel would be exceptionally written.  I was not disappointed in the least. The storyline was poignant and intriguing.  A page turner to be sure.  I never knew which characters I could trust, and I kept thinking that ...

Gwen Proctor and Same Cade are back with the rest of the crew in Trapper Road (Stillhouse Lake, #6) by Rachel Caine and Carrie Ryan.  A school shooting happens at the local high school, and Connor's best friend is behind it.  When a teenage girl goes missing in Gardenia, South Carolina, and Gwen is sent to investigate, it's perfect timing for her family to get away from all the publicity from the shooting. This latest edition in the Stillhouse Lake book series is a bittersweet one.  I am so thankful that Rachel Caine started outlining and writing Trapper Road before her passing and that Carrie Ryan finished it for her.  Rachel would have been proud of the way Carrie finished the manuscript for her.  Based on the acknowledgements at the end of the story, I halfway think that Carrie Ryan may be continuing the series.  One can dream, right? For those who have yet to read Trapper Road , this book does deal with very real situation of school shootings.  ...

Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens. Sara Gallagher's life is going the way she wants. She is engaged to a wonderful man named Evan and has a six year old daughter name Ally. To top things off, Sara's antique furniture restoration business is finally taking off. But, the only thing missing from her life is knowing who her birth parents are. When she sets out to find them, Sara is taken on the ride of her life when she finds out she's the product of her mother being raped by a serial killer. This is the second book written by Chevy Stevens and surpassed her debut novel of Still Missing in wow factor. How does this author keep churning out these fabulous stories? From page one, I was automatically drawn into the story of Never Knowing , and the story never let up. I found the main character, Sara Gallagher, to be very relatable, and with all that she's going through in the story, who could blame her for being a hot mess, especially when she doesn't fully feel like she i...

In Heartbreak Bay (Stillhouse Lake, #5) by Rachel Caine, a car is found submerged in a pond with twin girls still strapped in their car seats and their mother nowhere to be found. Detective Kezia Claremont of Norton requests the help of private investigator Gwen Proctor, who has recently moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. As the threats mount against both women, they know they have to fight to the end to save their families. I absolutely loved this most recent installment in the Stillhouse Lake book series, and it makes me extremely sad that this is the last book since the author passed away from cancer late last year. With that being said, I wonder if she had help with writing Heartbreak Bay because there were a couple of times a sentence didn't quite sound like her writing style. However, even with those few lines, the writing still felt like Rachel Caine wrote it, so I guess it could have been the editing. The character development with Laney, Connor, and Kezia was remarkable. Ev...

Rachel Caine did it again with Bitter Falls (Stillhouse Lake, #4) . I was immediately engulfed in Gwen Proctor's world of being on the run. Like the previous installment, Bitter Falls is narrated by the main four characters . . . Gwen, Sam, Lanny, and Connor, and it definitely flows better than Wolfhunter River (Stillhouse Lake, #3) . Although, I am still partial to Gwen's narration, it is refreshing to hear the voices of the other characters and understand their inner dialogue. Something I thoroughly enjoyed was the continuation of a couple of the characters from Wolfhunter River into Bitter Falls , namely Vera "Vee" Crockett. I expect to see her in at least one more book of the Stillhouse Lake book series.  The action packed fourth installment was so heart pounding good, that I had to force myself to put the book down as to not rush through and really enjoy the book. However, I stayed up entirely too late last night so I could finish Bitter Falls (Still...

After Gina Royal picks her children, Brady and Lily, from their Wichita, Kansas school, they come home to an unknown SUV that has crashed into their garage and police swarming their yard. Fast forward to four years later, and Gina, Brady, & Lily are on the run with new identities. Stillhouse Lake written by Rachel Caine kept me interested from the get go. There were very few slow moments on top of it. It was a quick, easy read that felt like the author wrote it with the possibility of it being turned into a movie, and it definitely was written with the typical thriller formula. This is why I gave it 4 out of 5 stars. The ending in wrapped up for the most part with the exception of one cliff hanger, which in my opinion isn't really much of a cliff hanger. From what I've read on Goodreads.com, many people are complaining about the "cliff hanger" and refusing to read the next book in the series because everything wasn't wrapped up in a nice little bow....