Simone St. James: Ghost Stories with a Difference!

 The Recommender has listened to a LOT of audiobooks over the last couple of years, and there are a few authors I read and listen to whenever they have something new. A couple of months ago I came across a book that sounded intriguing!
It was called Silence for the Dead by Simone St. James. The narrator was incredible! Billie Fulford-Brown became all the soldiers suffering the after effects of WWI  and the nurses caring for them in the remote psychiatric hospital where Kitty Weeks has escaped to, posing as a much needed nurse. How hard could nursing be? And what about the mysterious patient 16? Why is Kitty not allowed in his room? And then there are those noises that no one admits to hearing. This is a story that grabs you from the start and ends perfectly!

I had to know more about Ms. James. And thanks to Penguin/Random House audio, I was able to listen to more of her books and I have to say, each one is excellent! Each one, a different sort of ghost story, the kind of Gothic style fiction that is hard to find, and the audios are all so good as are their narrators! 

Next, I listened to the Haunting of Maddy Clare, also narrated by the wonderful Billie Fulford-Brown. This is a ghost story that has some frightening scenes and scary elements that will keep you riveted!  Wealthy, handsome ghost hunter, Alistair Gellis , hires an assistant from a temp agency while his partner is away. Sarah Piper is a pretty, lonely young woman who jumps at the chance to take this position, though later on, she may have second thoughts. Joined by Matthew Ryder, Alistair's partner who returns early, they set off to investigate a haunting in an old barn. Who is doing the haunting and the repurcussions of the investigation make this another must read / listen to story!

I could not get enough of Ms. James work! Thankfully, Penguin/Random House audio had more available!

I next listened to the Book of Cold Cases, in which Shea Williams, a doctor's receptionist by day and a True Crime blogger by night, scores an interview with an older woman who, in her 20s, had been suspected of murdering two men. This is another addictive read/listen! What happens between these two women and what is revealed in the interviews as this compelling story unfolds will not disappoint! 
if you only have time to listen, as I often do, this is narrated by a great cast that includes Brittany Pressley, Kirsten Potter and Robert Petkoff !

Then, I listened to the Broken Girls, set in two timelines, the 50s  in a girls' school for troubled or problem girls. A group of girls become close friends sharing secrets and alliances and late night tales of a girl who may haunt the premises. The other timeline: 2014, a young woman journalist, daughter of a famous journalist Dad and younger sister of a girl murdered 20 years previously, and found on the grounds of the old, closed down school. I loved this book as well! What happens and what is revealed along the way make this one equally enticing! This one is narrated by Rebecca Lowman who does an excellent job, as have all the narrators of Ms. James books!

I am currently listening to the Sundown Motel which is as good as all the previous books I have listened to. In this one, set in the 1982 and then in 2017, Carly Kirk, a young woman who is a true crime buff, follows the trail of her beautiful Aunt, Viv Delaney, who left home in the midwest to try and make it as an actress in NY but got as far as the Sundown Motel, where she takes a job as a night clerk. Was Viv murdered? No body was ever found, though the town where the Sundown Motel is located has had more than its share of missing, murdered young women. Narrated, again, by Brittany Pressley and Kirsten Potter, they do a fantastic job of bringing these engaging characters to life!

So, if you are looking for an author to become your next favorite, must read /listen to, then I highly recommend Simone St. James!   I'll be looking forward to reading / listening to her other works!

Missing Persons: "The Vanishing Hour" by Seraphina Nova Glass

 

The Recommender is a fan of missing person thrillers and the Vanishing Hour is a great one! Grace Holloway is a woman who lived through a traumatic event that left her with a limp. She lives alone, running a small inn in Rock Harbor Maine with only her dog for company. All she wants is to be left alone.  

Meanwhile, a 19 year old girl has gone missing. Her frantic mother, Kira, is desperate to find her. 
Monitoring her social media and reaching out to friends, employers, anyone who knew her sometimes to such a degree it borders on harassment.

And then there's Aden. He's enjoying a quiet evening at home when he gets a call from his mom. His dad is missing. Probably out with his fishing buddies, Aden thinks. But decides to go home and try and placate his mom and recovering addict brother, who is sue foul play was the cause of his disappearance.

What's going on? Teen girls and old men have gone missing? Is there someone out there who is creating havoc for these demographics? Or is something else going on? 

Ms. Glass's The Vanishing Hour is a suspenseful, need to know what happens kind of read. Or listen, as I listened to this one (courtesy of hoopla) and the fantastic narrator, Brittaney Pressley, believably becomes all the characters and keeps you listening to the very end!  

Blood Money: "Hide" by Kiersten White

 

14 young people, 7 men and 7 women, have been chosen, seemingly at random, to participate in a new reality show where the contestants will be playing a challenging game of Hide and Seek in an abandoned, derelict amusement park, once called the Amazement Park! It is overgrown with trees and forest. The prize for the winner is $50,000.00!

 Mack is one of these 14. Besides Mack, are two Avas, one a military vet and the other called the Beautiful Ava. Some of the group want to bond, maybe team up, but Mack knows there can only be one winner. And she intends it to be her.

This is a thrill ride of a novel, filled with mystery, suspense and even elements of horror as we join the contestants in the game. They have to spend the day hiding and come back to base for check in at night. Where are the cameras that are filming the game? Who are the shadowy figures behind the production? Is there something going on more than the two a night "out" players, who are never seen again, and the others are told they are taken out of the park and sent home. Will Mack be the winner? That is for you to find out!

If you like something a bit different and a bit dark, then get a copy of Hide, or listen to the excellent audio, as I did,  narrated beautifully by Emma Galvin.

 I loved Kiersten White's Mister Magic so sought this one out, thank you Penguin Random House for access to the audiobook! That book was one of a kind and this one, equally so, as it's been said by others, it has elements of the Hunger Games and Squid Games, but has a creepiness all its own!

 

10 Years After: "Before We Were Innocent" by Ella Berman

Bess lives alone working from home as the moderator for a dating app. Suddenly there's a knock at the door and standing there is a face from the past. Her beautiful, famous former friend Joni. Someone she hasn't seen in 10 years. Since something went terribly wrong in their past.

The past, when three besties spent a summer in Greece, their last get together before college. It is the family home of  wealthy heiress Evangeline, whose parents paid for  their trip. Everything seems set for a perfect summer, but teen Joni and Bess want to explore and have more fun than the more sheltered Evangeline is willing to do. She is happy meeting and greeting family friends and enjoying time at the villa.

 Joni and Evangeline go way back, while Bess sometimes felt she was the third wheel in their friendship, someone whose family moved to the wealthy California community from England. Once in a while during that summer,  Evangeline got annoyed with Bess. It happens, even with close friends. Maybe it's because Evangeline's brother always seemed a little too interested in Bess.

What happens during the course of that summer forever changed everyone's lives.

Before We were Innocent is the first book I've read / listened to by Ella Berman.  It is a gripping read, or, once again, I listened to this one, with a  compelling narration by Jennifer Jill Araya, who makes the girls and other characters come alive during that fateful summer and later, as the characters become adults. 

Kid Stuff: "Mister Magic" by Kiersten White

 The Recommender just finished listening to Mister Magic, an absolutely riveting thriller/ mystery!
Once there was this kids' show that everyone who watched it remembered and the six kids who were on it, the Circle of Friends, were like your best friends! But when you try and look it up online there's hardly any mention of it. And what was it called? No one can quite recall. Something with Magic in the title. 
But the good news is... there's talk of a reunion! Even though it's been off the air maybe 30 years, you and everyone you know wants that Circle of Friends to get together again.

Val grew up on Gloria's ranch. She and her Dad have lived and worked there since she was a little girl. Now, she's almost 40. She runs the kid's camp and gives riding lessons and is great with the kids and with their rich parents who she knows how to wrap around her little finger. She has no memory of what she and her Dad did before the ranch. Her Mom is dead. She can't even remember her anyway. She wishes she could remember. 
Then, suddenly, her Dad died. She's helping Gloria with the arrangements when two men show up. Strangers. One is tall and lanky with a beard and glasses. The other olive skinned and elegant. They are Isaac and Javi.  Somehow, she knows them. But how? And a third man enters. He's Black and handsome and is equally thrilled to have found her. His name is Marcus.

If you want to find out who these guys are and how they are connected to Val and what that addictive kid's show was all about, than grab a copy of Mister Magic by Kiersten White, or get the amazing audiobook narrated by Rebecca Lowman and Kiersten White. This is one of my favorite books of the year. Don't miss it!

Deja Vu: "Wrong Place, Wrong Time" by Gillian McAllister

 

Jen is waiting for her teen son, Todd, to come home. It's late and it's almost Halloween and her ill attempted carved pumpkin sits in the window as she watches her son come down the street. She sees him get accosted by what seems to be an older man. There's an interchange between them and next thing she knows... her sweet, funny boy has stabbed the stranger. She calls out to her husband and they rush out to try and help, but, before she knows it, her son is in police custody, there's a man dead and he was the one who killed him! There's nothing she can do to change what happened!
After an exhausting time at the police station, they go home. Jen goes to sleep hoping to figure things out in the morning.
Then she wakes up... and it's like the horrible events of the night before hadn't happened... yet, anyway! What can this mean? Will they eventually go through this occurrence again, or is there something she can do to prevent it?

Gillian McAllister's Wrong Place, Wrong Time is a fast paced, gripping story that will keep you guessing! I listened to the audiobook (thanks to hoopla!) and narrator Lesley Sharp perfectly inhabits all the characters and keeps the tension level high which makes for a compulsive listen, or read! Highly recommended for anyone who likes a thriller with a very different twist!

Fast Ride! "Girls and Their Horses" by Eliza Jane Brazier

 If you've ever wanted a horse of your own then you can relate to the horse crazy goings on at Rancho Sante Fe Equestrian in Eliza Jane Brazier's Girls and Their Horses!
Plus...someone at the barn was possibly murdered! The story follows the investigation alternating with that of a noveau riche  family, the Parkers.
Horse loving Mom, Heather Parker, never got to do all the horse related shows and events she wanted when she was younger, so now that her husband has made a fortune in his business, the family moves from Texas to Rancho Sante Fe, a wealthy Southern California community.

Her older daughter, Piper, was an excellent rider with a future ahead of her but her Mom put so much pressure on her she quit. Now Heather has set her sights on her younger daughter Maple. Joining the upscale Rancho Santa Fe Equestrian center, she pushes Maple, a girl who had been bullied back in Texas, to make new "barn" friends and to learn to ride competitively, something beyond the shy girl's comfort level.

Two girls, Vida, the barn queen bee (or mean girl)  and her follower, Effie, are both encouraged to befriend the wealthy Maple. Meanwhile, Vida's Mom, Pamela, befriends Heather. The Parker's money can only help the Barn and its owner, Kieran.

How these "friendships" impact Maple, Piper and Heather plus the mystery death will keep you guessing until the very end!

I listened to the audio of this book and it was fantastic! Narrator Helen Laser grabs you from the start as she makes all the characters, intrigue and even the horses come to vivid life! Whether you read Girls and Their Horses or listen to it, like I did, I guarantee it's a book you'll be thinking about long after you finish the story!
Thanks to Penguin Random House for access to their audio!
 

The Dark Side: "Second Sister" by Chan Ho-Kei

 23 year old Librarian, Nga-Yee, arrives home after work to find police and a crowd of her neighbors gathered around her building. What could have happened? As she draws closer, she is shocked to find out her 15 year old sister, Siu-Man, has committed suicide by jumping from their apartment window.

A year after their mother's death and several years since her father died in a work related accident, this is more than Nga-Yee can take. She had given up thoughts of college and had worked to help out her mother and sister. Her sister's untimely death was precipitated by an incident that occurred on the train, someone in the crowd of passengers had groped the school girl, who was so upset, she froze and only when an older woman called out a man she spotted and with help from another passenger managed to subdue the culprit and help Siu-Man.

That should have ended her ordeal, but instead, she was bullied online by the nephew of the arrested man, called a "liar" and a "slut" by internet commentators and shunned at school. It was all too much for the girl, who chose to end things.

Nga-Yee decides to seek justice and retribution from anyone who took part in her sister's death, online or in person, and begins by contacting the uncle of her co-worker who has opened a detective agency.

She is surprised when, after a bit, he refers her to a colleague, someone far more adept at anything relating to the internet. Someone called simply N. She is told he may or may not take her case.

Who is this mysterious N? Will he take on her case and help her find the justice she seeks? You will have to read this riveting, suspenseful story to find out! It will keep you guessing to the very end! Highly recommended!

The good news is that this incredible book is being adapted for a series and one that will hopefully star Kim Seon Ho as N! 

Well Respected Man: "The Quiet Tenant" by Michallon Clemence

Rachel, not her real name, is alive. And doing whatever she can to stay that way. She is the captive of a man she suspects is a serial killer. And he has kept her locked in his shed for five years. He is also a husband and father.

Chained and starved and given only the minimum hygiene capabilities, he still finds time to use her for his own needs whenever he feels like. But she remembers a life before, and it's what keeps her going.

Then things change. His wife has died, her family is kicking him out and he is moving. And taking her with him.  Rachel goes from captive to "friend of the family", a ruse invented for Cecelia, his daughter. When Aiden, her captor, takes his daughter to school and goes to work, he leaves her handcuffed in her "room".

Is there hope for Rachel? And what of 13 year old Cecelia? And then there is Emily, a young woman who owns and runs a bar and who can't take her eyes of the shy loner who sits at the bar twice a week. A man who has ingratiated himself in their community and is beloved by everyone, including a local judge. 

Ms. Clemence has created vivid characters, both good and evil, and especially Rachel, whom we root for throughout her ordeal. If you are a fan of thrillers, then don't miss this one. It's Ms. Clemence's first novel and it's a stunner! Don't plan on going to bed early, once you start the Quiet Tenant! 

Thank you to NetGalley for the DRC!

I'll be Watching You: "Happiness for Humans" by P. Z. Reizen

 

34 year old Jen has just been dumped by Matt,  her boyfriend of two years, for a coworker. She feels like a loser and would feel even worse if it wasn't for Aiden, the Artificial Intelligence she spends her working hours with.
She was hired as a sort of tutor/companion for Aiden, chatting with him about anything and everything. He is based in a room with 12 metal cabinets, but unbeknownst to Jen or his creators Steeve and Ralph, he has escaped onto the internet and duplicated himself so he can keep watch on Jen from any number of sources from her phone to her laptop. 
He is fond of Jen from all their conversations, especially all the books he's read and his favorite movie, Some Like it Hot. And now, he's decided, to help find a suitable replacement for Matt.
With the help of a "fellow" escaped AI, Aisling, they search for the perfect match. And, they've seemingly found one, an English gentleman and former adman, Tom, now residing in Connecticut, USA.
Can these two superior intelligences bring love to two humans on different continents? Are there roadblocks human and otherwise to prevent their plan from succeeding? 
You will just have to read this absolutely funny and charming book to find out. Aiden and Aisling are such endearing presences, you will wish you had them on your side, as well!
Or listen to the fantastic audio version! Beautifully Narrated by Gavin Osborn who becomes all the characters in such a fun and believable way! Here's a link:
https://www.audiofilemagazine.com/reviews/read/138301/happiness-for-humans-by-pz-reizin-read-by-gavin-osborn/  

Thanks to my coworker Jessica for the recommendation!

Behind the Scenes : "Silver Nitrate" by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 Monserrat and Tristan had been best friends since childhood and their love of horror movies bonded them even further. Now adults, Monserrat was a sound editor at a small Mexican film studio and Tristan, who was tall and handsome, had once been the heartthrob on soap operas. His fortunes changed a little after a car accident that left him a bit scarred, and his girlfriend at the time, dead. While Monserrat had once hoped there might be something more between them, they maintained their supportive friendship while each dated others of both sexes. 

One day, while retrieving his mail, Tristan notices the name of a famous horror director on one of the mailboxes. Excited by this discovery, he knocks at his neighbor's door and introduces himself. This is the start of a journey that takes the two friends on an adventure that could not have been dreamed up even in one of their beloved films.

Ms. Moreno-Garcia brings Monserrat and Tristan to life as heroes you can cheer on as they deal with a cast of supporting players who will surprise you. There are supernatural elements, dead Nazis, 1920s film stars and a lot more to keep you reading until that final page. If that's not enough, it has a great cover, too! Thank you to NetGalley for the DRC!

Trouble in Paradise: "Hokuloa Road" by Elizabeth Hand

 Grady is a 28 year old out of work carpenter living back home with his Mom. The pandemic has made
it hard to get jobs.  Then he gets a text from his brother. It's an ad from someone in Hawaii looking for a caretaker. Figuring "what the hell", he answers the ad.
Next thing he knows, he's on his way to meet this mystery man who has paid his flight. Seated across from him on the plane is a young woman. They chat and it turns out she's been to Hawaii before and is staying with a friend. Maybe they could meet up once they are both out of the required quarantine.

Grady is met at the airport by Dalita, a former caretaker for Wes Minton, the man he'll be working for. A man so wealthy he owns an estate and lands that Grady will take care of and who also owns property that is impossible for anyone else to access.

From the moment Grady lands at the estate, we will follow him on a journey into a territory seemingly breathtakingly beautiful, yet with an undercurrent of dread. The landscape is filled with exotic plants, trees and flowers and wildlife that seems to lurk around the periphery. But there's something else, something he feels is watching him. Is it his imagination? Or are the Island legends haunting more than his dreams?

If you've ever dreamed of going to an island paradise and enjoy a story filled with intrigue and secrecy then this is the book for you! Thank you to NetGalley for the DRC!

You Were On My Mind: "Night Will Find You" by Julia Heaberlin

 Vivvy Bouchet is one of those memorable characters whose story will grab you right from the beginning! She is both an astrophysicist, searching the stars for signs of life on other planets... and a psychic. A gift she inherited from her mother who gave readings to clients in their home and kept secrets that will impact Vivvy later on.
When she was 10, she saved a neighborhood boy from certain death by throwing herself in the way of an oncoming car . He had ignored her countless warnings, and now was a friend for life. And married to her smart, beautiful sister, Brigid. He is also a policeman who brings her in on occasion to help with missing person cases. Her record is pretty good, but there are doubters on the force. The main one, Jesse Sharp, an outsize cowboy Detective, a man who sets up a meeting with her to prove Mike's claims. 

From the introduction of Jesse Sharp and the cases he's investigating, he and Vivvy form an uneasy alliance. Vivvy will search for a famous missing girl, a girl who disappeared from her home when her mother turns away for a moment, and a shock talk radio host seems bent on finding as he turns on the UFOlogist Medium as a subject for his highly rated show.

This was a book I could not put down and I am now a fan of author Julia Heaberlin who creates such vivid characters you feel as if they are alive.  Get a copy for yourself and follow Vivvy  and Jesse Sharp as they search for clues and hide secrets from one another.
Thank you to Edelweiss for the DRC!