All This & More - Peng Shepherd - 2024 Top Book Pick!

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All This & More - Peng Shepherd - 2024 Top Book Pick!

Speculative Fiction

Rating: 9/10

Marsh never imagined she would be chosen as the star of season three of All This & More. A reality show with a simple premise; each season the chosen one will have ten episodes to try and alter their life path. With quantum bubbling they can try multiple versions, moving back and forth until they land on the do over they are looking for. The possibilities seem endless to Marsh, but if life has taught us nothing else, be wary if something seems to good to be true. The reader can follow paths of their own choosing too! There are 27. I counted.

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Killer Queens...

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Felon(ish) Females In Fiction…

Gone are the days when female characters were confined to boring old stereotypes and placed into predetermined boxes. Sure, they could be a little sassy and occasionally snarky, but only within the confines of societal expectations. But guess what? Those limits are getting blasted wide open, and the ladies are unlocking a whole new level of villainy, and let me tell you, the potential for mischief and mayhem is off the charts! Damn, it’s a good time to be alive. If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to keep company with a murderess or two. Trust me, you’re safe. Probably…

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Last Murder At The End Of The World - Stuart Turton

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Last Murder At The End Of The World - Stuart Turton

Sci-Fi/Mystery

Rating: 8.5/10

If Sherlock Holmes and M. Night Shyamalan had a book baby, this would be it! The island is idyllic: 122 villagers and three scientists living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to be of service in sustaining their way of life; doing what they are told. Until, to their horror, one the scientists is found brutally murdered and they discover that the security system keeping a deadly fog at bay has failed. And that’s before they find out about the AI that knows all their thoughts, and might be manipulating them.

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Loose Lips - Kemper Donovan

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Loose Lips - Kemper Donovan

Mystery

Rating: 9/10

I have never really understood the whole cruise thing. Voluntarily imprisoning oneself on a slow-moving island with endless activities tailored to be “fun”, but more like a form a shared torture from my perspective. No thanks. Well, if I was looking to have my mind changed, this book had no hope of that! As with this author’s first book, I loved the wry banter, the masterful grasp and dispensation of red herrings, the eccentric cast of characters.

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Vantage Point - Sara Sligar

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Vantage Point - Sara Sligar

Fiction/Thriller

Rating: 9/10

Clara can’t remember when she learned about the family curse. There was no pomp and circumstance, nobody came out and said, Clara everyone thinks your family is irrevocably doomed. She and her brother Teddy had to figure it out on their own, piecing together the truth from the whispers around them. And once they had the whole story…all hell broke loose. One of the best last minute twists I have read in a while!

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Wrap It Up...Chapter Three...Sleuths & Such

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Books Full Of Mystery, Thrills & Chills…

My Christmas wish for you is this, let books be the gift you choose to give. To others, and to yourself. May they provide an escape, a door into a world of wonder, a glimpse at an everyday hero’s inspirational tale, a reminder that laughter is indeed the best medicine, and that words and stories are sustenance for the soul, and in our darkest moments, a soft place to land. Find a cozy spot, crack open a book and have a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful holiday season.

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Wrap It Up...Chapter Two...Fictional Finds

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Books For Those That Love The Art Of Storytelling…

My Christmas wish for you is this, let books be the gift you choose to give. To others, and to yourself. May they provide an escape, a door into a world of wonder, a glimpse at an everyday hero’s inspirational tale, a reminder that laughter is indeed the best medicine, and that words and stories are sustenance for the soul, and in our darkest moments, a soft place to land. Find a cozy spot, crack open a book and have a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful holiday season.

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Guess Who's Coming To Dinner...

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Family…With The Drama

Blue Sisters – Coco Mellors

The Mighty Red – Louise Erdrich

The Leap Year Gene – Shelley Wood

Shred Sisters – Besty Lerner

Haunt Sweet Home – Sarah Pinsker

Tell Me Everything – Elizabeth Strout

Intermezzo – Sally Rooney

Lies And Weddings – Kevin Kwan

By Any Other Name – Jodi Picoult

Wellness – Nathan Hill

The Life Impossible – Matt Haig

The Lost Story – Meg Shaffer

It All Comes Down To This – Therese Anne Fowler

Long Island Compromise – Taffy Brodesser-Akner

However Far Away – Rajinderpal S. Pal

The Same Bright Stars – Ethan Joella

Dear Edward – Ann Napolitano

The Magnificent Ruins – Nayantara Roy

The Seven Sisters – Lucinda Riley

Tell It Like It Is(n't)...

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Books With Unreliable Narrators…

The Confession - Charolette Bigland

Hitchcock Hotel - Stephanie Wrobel

First Lie Wins - Ashley Elston

The Sequel - Hean Hanff Korelitz

The Big Fix - Holly James

Presumed Guilty - Scott Turow

This Story Is A Lie - Tom Pollock

Diary Of A Murderer - Young Ha-Kim

Goodnight Beautiful - Aimee Molloy

Yellowface - R.F. Kuang

My Murder - Katie Williams

The Other People - CB Everett

The End Of The Story - A.J. Finn

Things Don't Break On Their Own - Sarah Easton Collins

The Coworker - Frieda McFadden

The Split - Kit Frick

Last Murder At The End Of The World - Stuart Turton

Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides

Dear Child - Romy Hausman

Agatha Approved...Kinda, Sorta

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Mysteries That Would Make Her Proud…

Woman In The Library - Sulari Gentil

Eight Detectives - Alex Pavesi

The Plot - Jean Hanff Korelitz

Enigma Of Room 622 - Joel Dicker

Thursday Murder Club - Richard Osman

Magpie Murders - Anthony Horowitz

The Killing Circle - Andrew Pyper

The Busy Body - Kemper Donovan

Everybody On This Train Is A Suspect - Benjamin Stevenson

The Last Word - Elly Griffiths

Eight Perfect Murders - Peter Swanson

Four Queens Of Crime - Rosanne Limoncelli

Burn After Reading - Catherine Ryan Howard

This Book Will Bury Me - Ashley Winstead

Woman In The Window - A.J Finn

Trust No One - Paul Cleave

Think Of A Number - John Verdnon

Golden Sppon - Jessa Maxwell

Mastering The Art Of French Murder - Colleen Cambridge

Wrap It Up...Chapter One...True Stories

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Books For A Glimpse Into Another Persons Story…

My Christmas wish for you is this, let books be the gift you choose to give. To others, and to yourself. May they provide an escape, a door into a world of wonder, a glimpse at an everyday hero’s inspirational tale, a reminder that laughter is indeed the best medicine, and that words and stories are sustenance for the soul, and in our darkest moments, a soft place to land. Find a cozy spot, crack open a book and have a wonderful, joyous, and peaceful holiday season.

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All Wrapped Up!

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Books Get The Holiday Treatment!

Sweet Holiday treats in the form of mystery novels! Gathered are bitesized seasonal instalments from beloved series that miss none of the byzantine plotting or quirky characters and new offerings that are full of witty banter and charm. Any (or all) of them a perfect escape from the hectic holiday preparations all of us undertake at this time of year. All the seasonal vibes with none of the work…what are you waiting for!!

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The Plot Thickens...

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Mystery Solved…The Who, Why & How Of It All

“The writer of murder, like all writers, must be a miser, conceding revelations bit by bit; for every novel is a puzzle, every writer a murderer, and every reader a sleuth.”

Ah, the allure of a tantalizing, twisty plot! In these curated titles you will find no swift resolution, no failure of the writer in keeping you glued to the page, no lack in the pushing at the bounds of plausibility. You will find yourself in the company of characters that are all plotting in one way or another; to further their ambitions, for true love, for revenge, and even for sheer entertainment. Certainly, for your entertainment dear reader.

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The Puzzle Master - Danielle Trussoni

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The Puzzle Master - Danielle Trussoni

Fiction

Rating: 8/10

Brink cannot resist the urge to solve a puzzle put in front of him, no level of difficultly is insurmountable. Nervous energy will overcome him until he can put right the disorder. His brain will latch itself on to patterns or sequences without his consent or, at times, his awareness. His unique skillset has now put him in harms way. Fun fact (or is it fiction?), ones and zeros will become replaced with qubits. Information will be able to exist here, and there. Be black and white at the same time. Makes my head hurt…

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Mask Of Flies - Matthew Lyons

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Mask Of Flies - Matthew Lyons

Horror

Rating: 7.5/10

Bodies drop like flies in this book. I won’t elaborate on the irony of that, but you know, the title. As the saying goes, there is no honor among thieves. Our tale of terror begins with Anne narrowly escaping a botched bank heist with a wounded team member and a cop she has recklessly taken hostage. And that’s only the beginning of her mistakes. From there the story takes a dark, otherworldly, and very yucky turn. The gore factor is worthy of a Tarantino film!

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In Short-New Horror Novellas

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Creepy Reads To Curl Up With…Keep The Lights On!

A blood splattered dissection of the uber rich, where fury flows as freely as champagne. And on the menu? The family’s just desserts. A robot, William, has begun make decisions outside of its programming, forming appetites, gaslighting its creator. And now, he (it?) wants out. A sleep deprived women who can’t understand why she is so tired all the time, until she films herself. This trio of novellas clears the most difficult hurdle in horror fiction, ensuring the fear on the page is felt by the reader!

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Butcher & Blackbird: A Ruinous Love - Brynne Weaver - Top Book Pick!

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Butcher & Blackbird: A Ruinous Love - Brynne Weaver - Top Book Pick!

Romance/Horror

Rating: 9/10

I don’t often wander into the romance category, but sometimes a girl just needs to get her groove on. So to speak. This tantalizing tale of two vigilante serial killers endlessly trying to out kill each other certainly scratched that itch. Tons of teasing banter, romantic gestures and very spicy bedroom antics build with every page. You know what they say…there’s a lid for every pot!

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Ghost Station - S.A. Barnes

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Ghost Station - S.A. Barnes

Sci-Fi/Horror

Rating: 7.5/10

Dr. Ophelia Bray wakes from frozen sleep still locked into the coffin like tank. Every breath a searing iciness, every muscle stiff and cramped, every sense excruciatingly straining to haul her back to a conscious state. And that’s before she emerges. Before she finds the crew missing and the ship silent. A desolate planet, a derelict ship, a shadowy crew and nothing but endless night. What else do you need in a space horror book?

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Not Enough Hours In The Day...

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Scary Reads To Squeeze In…

Dead Eleven - Jimmy Juliano

You Like It Darker - Stephen King

Heads Will Roll - Josh Winning

Middle Of The Night - Riley Sager

William - Mason Coile

Family Business - Jonathan Sims

The Queen - Nick Cutter

Cuckoo - Gretchen Felker-Martin

Horror Movie - Paul Tremblay

I Was A Teenage Slasher - Stephen Graham Jone

Lost Man's Lane - Scott Carson

Incidents Around The House - Josh Malerman

Near The Bone - Christina Henry

The White Guy Dies First - Terry Benton-Walker

Mask Of Flies - Matthew Lyons

So Thirsty - Rachel Harrison

The Night Guest - Hildur Knutsdottir

Don’t Eat The Pie - Monique Asher

Devils Kill Devils - Johnny Compton

Dark Sparkles...

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Killer Queens & Badass Babes…

Lenny Marks Gets Away With Murder - Kerryn Mayne

She's A Killer - Kirsten McDougall

Loose Lips - Kemper Donovan

Witness 8 - Steve Cavanagth

Havoc - Christopher Bollen

Gaslight - Sara Shepard

Lie To Me - Theo Baxter

Sweet Pea - C.J. Skuse

The Self-Made Widow - Fabian Nicieza

This Girls A Killer - Emma C. Wells

My Husband - Maud Ventura

Follow Me - Elizabeth Rose Queen

You'd Look Better As A Ghost - Joanna Wallace

Blood Sugar - Sascha Rothschild

Best Way To Bury Your Husband - Alexie Casale

No One Will Miss Her - Kat Rosenfield

Rouge - Mona Awad

My Lover's Lover - Maggie O'Farrell

Bright Young Women - Jessica Knoll