When her documentary becomes instrumental in freeing a man she feels was wrongfully convicted of murder, filmmaker Tessa Shepherd is thrilled.  She spent countless hours interviewing Oliver Barlow, even coming to think of him as a friend.  Tessa believes—beyond a shadow of a doubt—that he's innocent, a victim of bungled policework.  After fourteen years in prison, Oliver Barlow can finally return to his wife and kids.  And he has Tessa to thank.

Eighteen months later, Tessa is shocked when Oliver posts a video online.  In it, he confesses that he has kidnapped a young woman and plans to kill her.  It's not long before a stunned Tessa is being vilified by the outraged public, all of them wondering how she could have been hoodwinked by a monster like Oliver.  When he mentions her name in a subsequent video, Tessa feels not just trapped but also hunted.  After the will of her recently deceased mother reveals that Tessa and her sister have inherited an old family home they didn't know existed, she decides to hide at Fallbrook.  The crumbling mansion is the site of an old, mysterious tragedy.  Now, it's inhabited only by ghosts.  Its elderly caretakers know what really happened there, but they're not talking.  Tessa is determined to unearth Fallbrook's secrets, no matter what it takes.  What went on in the isolated home?  What are the caretakers hiding?  Tessa has always been adept at reading people, but she was oh so very wrong about Oliver ...

As you can tell from the plot summary, there's a lot going on in The Caretakers by Eliza Maxwell.  I went into the book thinking it would be an intriguing family drama with a little mystery thrown in along with a lot of creepy Gothic atmosphere.  So, I was a bit confused when the story seemed to center more on Tessa's investigation of Oliver Barlow.  Frankly, I cared little about anything happening in her present; my interest was in Fallbrook.  Unfortunately, Maxwell just couldn't seem to decide whether she was writing a cat-and-mouse mystery/thriller or a spooky drama/ghost story.  The mash-up didn't work for me.  The Caretakers ended up feeling unfocused, melodramatic, and weirdly paced.  I still whipped through the novel in a day because I wanted to see what would happen next, but overall, the tale felt dissatisfying to me.  This was one of my most highly anticipated novels of 2021, so I'm bummed.

(Readalikes:  The Gothic-y bits remind me of novels by Carol Goodman and Emily Carpenter)

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of The Caretakers from the generous folks at Lake Union Publishing via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

The Pine Family of Adair, Nebraska, already knows what it means to be infamous.  Four years ago, 25-year-old Danny Pine was convicted of murdering his girlfriend and sent to prison.  The family refused to accept the verdict, launching an expensive, fevered campaign to free him.  A Netflix documentary about the case cast even more doubt on Danny's guilt, bolstering the Pines but vilifying the community of Adair.  Now, the family is in the news again.  Four of the Pines—Danny's parents and two of his siblings—have been found dead in a Mexican vacation home, victims of an apparent gas leak.

Besides Danny, 21-year-old Matt is the only Pine left.  Devastated by this fresh loss, he leaves NYU and returns to Adair to bury his family.  What he finds is a hostile town and a barrage of painful memories he'd like to forget.  When FBI agent Sarah Keiler comes knocking on Matt's door, Matt realizes there's more to the deaths of his parents and siblings than meets the eye.  What really happened to them?  Why were they targeted?  As it becomes increasingly apparent that their deaths are related to Danny's case, Matt fears the truth about what really happened the night Danny's girlfriend was killed will inevitably come to light.  If it does, everyone will know the horrifying truth that Matt has kept hidden for four years—Danny is guilty.  Can Matt get justice for his family without betraying his brother?

Told from multiple viewpoints, Every Last Fear by Alex Finlay (available March 2, 2021), is more than just an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller.  It's a layered, intimate portrayal of a family in crisis, a story that draws you into the characters' world, paints them in an authentic, sympathetic way, and leaves you dreading the tragedies you know are about to befall them.  Knowing their fates doesn't make the novel less compelling, however.  If anything it makes it even more engrossing.  True, the plot is a bit predictable, with a rather obvious killer, but still, it's a gripping thriller that had me ripping through the pages to see what was going to happen next.  Although Every Last Fear is not a happy tale, it is a hopeful one, which made it even more appealing to me.  In the end, then, I enjoyed this absorbing novel, which kept me riveted from its first page to its last.  

(Readalikes:  Hm, nothing is coming to mind.  You?)

To the FTC, with love:  I received an e-ARC of Every Last Fear from the generous folks at St. Martin's Press via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you!

Like always, Zoe Washington has baking on the brain.  If she can convince her mom and stepdad to let her audition for Kids Bake Challenge, she knows she can sweep the competition with her mad skills.  She could even end up as a star pastry chef with her own television show!  Zoe just has to prove herself so her parents will take her seriously as a budding baker.

When Zoe gets a letter from her biological father on her 12th birthday, it throws her for a confusing loop.  Convicted of murder, Marcus Johnson has been in prison since Zoe was a baby.  She hasn't heard a word from him in all that time and Zoe's mother has forbidden her from contacting him.  Torn between obeying her mom and finally getting a chance to know her mysterious father, Zoe begins to correspond with him in secret.  As he tells her about himself, encourages her baking, and shares his favorite songs, she begins to see him as not just a criminal but also as an intriguing person who doesn't seem nearly as bad as her mom makes him out to be.  When Marcus insists he's innocent, Zoe believes him.  As she sets out to clear his name, she learns some disturbing truths about a criminal justice system that unfairly targets Black men.  Did Marcus really kill someone?  Or is he the victim of systemic racism?  If Zoe can prove Marcus' innocence and free him from prison, can he finally be a real part of her life?  Suddenly, she wants that even more than a spot on Kids Bake Challenge.  As her secret investigation starts taking over Zoe's life, she has to decide what she really wants and how far she's willing to go to get it.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington, a middle-grade novel by debut author Janae Marks, is a quick but impactful read.  With themes of racism and wrongful conviction, it's a timely read that's as thought-provoking as it is engaging.  Although the book deals with heavy subjects, overall it tells an upbeat, hopeful story.  Zoe is an easy-to-root-for heroine who's full of spunk and determination.  As her eyes are opened to hard truths, she learns some important lessons about family, friendship, forgiveness, and fighting for what matters.  Even if Zoe's particular situation is foreign to some readers, the lessons she learns will resonate.  They certainly did for me.  For all these reasons, I very much enjoyed From the Desk of Zoe Washington and will keep an eye out to see what the talented Marks does next.

(Readalikes:  Um, nothing's really coming to mind.  You?)