suspense

Dare to Tell by Tara Fox Hall

August 11, 2023 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Dare to Tell by Tara Fox Hall

Urban single woman Jean Bane denies her dreams and ghostly visitations of impending death until a horrific active shooter event clarifies the messages as portents. In the aftermath, more ghosts visit Jean, saving her yet again in a car accident and asking for her to “come to Evergreen Hall”, to “bring it to justice”. Dreading their requests for aid, Jean ignores the ghosts and tries to go back to her former life. But after ghostly interference saves her life a third time, Jean leaves her boyfriend and friends for the small town of Blodgett Mills, to help restore the old estate called Evergreen Hall.
The new owner Carlton Fairhaven IV, real estate developer and recovering alcoholic, has grand plans for the family property, including transforming it into a bed and breakfast capitalizing on the Fairhaven family’s colorful history while downplaying the double series of murders of young girls decades before. But the crumbling mansion has ghosts of its own, many of which have witnessed or committed murder. When local young women began to go missing as they did ten years prior, Jean must decide if she dares to expose the hidden truth that has long festered within Evergreen Hall.

Escape to Osprey Cove by Luisa Marietta Gold

February 19, 2023 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Escape to Osprey Cove by Luisa Marietta Gold

The mystery begins with an unusual find in the secret compartment of Doug’s new Corvette, changing his and Catherine’s life forever. Doug’s mysterious behavior afterward forces Catherine to escape to The Osprey Cove Lodge, where she finds something even more valuable. The series spans seven geographic locations, from the scenic Canadian region of the Rideau Lakes to the shores of the Caribbean. An exciting web of mystery develops as the characters’ lives intertwine. The description of the lodge is so inviting that you will want to pack your bags and head there.

The Secret of Heaven by Felix Alexander

January 7, 2023 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

The Secret of Heaven by Felix Alexander

A lost Bible dating back to the time of Christ, and written by one of his disciples, is at the center of the murder of disgraced investment banker, Lazzaro de Medici. Wanted for questioning in connection to the murder, Professor of Biblical Studies, Aiden Leonardo races against the clock to find the lost Bible, while flying from the F.B.I., the Chicago PD, and a secret organization intent on destroying the ancient relic and tying up loose ends.
With only an encrypted letter and the help of his fiance, Miriam, and their close friend Nagi, Aiden utilizes his extensive knowledge of scripture to unravel the clues and find the secret of heaven, lest it be lost to forever.

When Push Comes to Shoot by Rena Koontz

July 1, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

When Push Comes to Shoot by Rena Koontz

Emma Hunter’s tyrannical brother deserved to die, even if the manner of his murder was horror-movie gruesome. As a police lieutenant, she’s duty-bound to provide whatever assistance she can in hunting down her brother’s killer, but she doesn’t mourn his loss. Business acquaintances, former friends, and even his relatives agree the world is better off without the despicable bully.
With no clues and too many suspects, it looks like the murderer might be home free—until tenacious Detective Jared Jones’ suspicions turn to Emma’s sweet sister-in-law. Emma knows for a fact that her brother’s mentally and emotionally abused wife is innocent, but conflicting loyalties prevent her from speaking up and turning the investigation in the right direction. What’s best for her brother’s widow could cost Emma everything she values—her career, her reputation, even her freedom.

FEATURED BOOK: The Woman He Used to Know by Helen Starbuck

May 1, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Detective Nick Ryan and Elizabeth Harper haven’t seen each other in five years after she married a man he despised. Her husband is dead, and she has many reasons to want him dead. Hasty decisions have brought Nick and Elizabeth to a strange and bloody crossroads. He’s worried his feelings for her will help her get away with murder, and she’s worried they’ll land her in prison.

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Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster

March 27, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Hostile Witness by Rebecca Forster

Once a hotshot attorney, Josie Bates swore off the legal limelight until her college roommate came calling. Her daughter, sixteen year-old Hannah Sheraton, is accused of murdering a judge and no one in the legal community will represent her. Josie, abandoned by her own mother as a teenager, can’t turn her back. Josie’s best hope is to get the girl sentenced to a a juvenile facility but when the D.A. decides to try her as an adult, Josie knows conviction would be as good as the death penalty. Digging deep to build a defense, Josie finds that within a tangled web of family relations, politics, and money, a teenage girl’s life is worthless — except to Josie.

Running with the Enemy by Lloyd Lofthouse

February 26, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Running with the Enemy by Lloyd Lofthouse

A US Marine is framed for a crime he didn’t commit. He has a choice to make, save the woman he loves, or prove his innocence. He can’t have both.

“Obviously drawn from the author’s first-hand experiences as a Marine serving in Vietnam … a rough but occasionally heartfelt war story … is quite good and has a lot to say about the nature of the conflict.”
— Judge’s comment from 21st Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards.

When Push Comes to Shoot by Rena Koontz

February 1, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

When Push Comes to Shoot by Rena Koontz

With no clues and too many suspects, it looks like the murderer might be home free — until tenacious Detective Jared Jones’ suspicions turn to Emma’s sweet sister-in-law. Emma knows for a fact that her brother’s mentally and emotionally abused wife is innocent, but conflicting loyalties prevent her from speaking up and turning the investigation in the right direction. What’s best for her brother’s widow could cost Emma everything she values — her career, her reputation, even her freedom.

50 States by Richard R. Becker

January 18, 2022 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

50 States by Richard R. Becker

An Idaho farmer who aches for absolution after a tragedy is given one more chance at redemption. Two runaways cross paths in a Tennessee bus station with only one ticket between them. A family sees looters racing toward their home as they escape an Oregon wildfire. A young couple takes a reckless turn off a state highway in Utah and find themselves in a nightmarish government biohazard area.

These and 46 more shorts make up an anthology that will surprise readers with each new thought-provoking story as they skip effortlessly across different genres, moods, and states of mind. Together, they provide a character-driven sampling of the American experience over the last 60 years — the kind and the cruel, the heroic and criminal — in unpredictable and exciting ways.

50 States is a debut collection of short stories that captures the human condition and reveals how perception shapes destiny. The book spans several literary genres with each short story set in a different state across America. It is soon to be released as an audiobook, narrated by a 5-time Emmy winner.

Taken, A Detective Al Warner Novel by George A Bernstein

November 26, 2021 By Book Review Matchmaker Leave a Comment

Taken, A Detective Al Warner Novel by George A Bernstein

The corpse of a Miami hooker is discovered in the Everglades. As Detective Al Warner investigates, he learns other streetwalkers also have disappeared, and this homicide is now a case of human trafficking. Nicki, a female undercover cop, goes as a streetwalker, hoping to be taken so she can use a tracking device, but it’s stripped from her before she can activate it.
Meanwhile, Maggie is offered a lucrative deal as a birth surrogate for a secretive, wealthy couple. She’s living nine months in luxurious seclusion but begins to worry when another surrogate disappears a month before her term. Maggie discovers her fetus is a tool of extortion, and fears for her life. She attempts to flee the mansion, but her “hosts” refuse to let her go. Her life is trivial to them, but they need the child she carries.
Trapped at the bordello on a remote ’Glades island reached only by airboats, Nicki embarks on daring foray to find and activate the tracker. If she fails, she’ll become a sex slave like the other women imprisoned there, with little hope of rescue. Warner and his team eagerly await Nicki’s signal. Without that, there’s no clue to her location, and no idea of the deadly confrontation that awaits them. Warner is thrust into danger as he seeks to free the sex slaves and also rescue Maggie and a second infant before it’s too late. Lives are on the line, and only Al Warner can save them.