(Image from Barnes & Noble)

At a park in Endleby—a small hamlet near Hereford—a devoted mother walks away from her two small children, leaving them alone.  Twenty hours later, she returns.  Where has she been?  No one knows.  Even Selena Cole herself claims to have no recollection of what she'd been doing while her daughters were left alone.  Is the wealthy psychologist telling the truth?  If she is, then where was she for those missing hours?  If not, then why did she leave her kids?  

Not far away, the body of Dominic Newell, a respected defense attorney, is found on a lonely country road.  Dead from a stab wound, his vicious demise shocks all who knew him.  Who would commit such a savage crime?  

Finn Hale, who's been a sergeant detective for 82 whole days, is tasked with solving the case.  His sister, DC Leah Mackay, is investigating the disappearance of Selena Cole.  Are the two events connected?  Or is it just coincidence that they happened at the same time in a quiet place that, as Finn is wont to say, isn't exactly Mogadishu?  As Finn and Leah look deeper into the disappearance and the murder, they discover some shocking clues about what really happened to both Selena and Dominic.

I don't want to say too much about The Missing Hours by Emma Kavanagh because I think it's one of those books where the less you know going into it, the better.  Suffice it to say, it's a tense, suspenseful psychological thriller with plenty of twists to keep the reader not just engaged, but riveted.  Someone recommended this to me (I can't remember who—so sorry!) and I'm so glad they did.  I enjoyed it.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a handful of F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, blood/gore, and depictions of illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  A bought a copy of The Missing Hours from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When abused wives and other innocent people need to disappear, they contact Alexandra "Alex" Lovell.  The 29-year-old P.I. uses her considerable computer skills to build her clients new lives in distant places.  As long as they follow the rules Alex sets out for them, they remain safe.  Melanie Coghan, the abused wife of an Austin police officer, has broken those rules and Alex fears the worst.  Without a body, she can't be sure Melanie is dead, but it certainly appears to be true.

Desperate to find her missing client, Alex enlists the help of Nathan Devereaux, a sexy homicide detective.  He's skeptical of Alex's claims, but intrigued nonetheless.  With the aid of an elite group of scientists known as the Tracers, the pair make some startling discoveries.  Can they use the clues they've found to figure out what really happened to Melanie?  With Melanie's angry, possibly murderous, husband on her trail, Alex is not exactly safe herself ...

Untraceable, the first book in Laura Griffin's popular Tracers series, is a taut, exciting mystery filled with plenty of action.  It's not terribly original or surprising (it only offered one twist I didn't see coming), but the main characters are empathetic and likable.  There's definite chemistry between Alex and Nathan, which adds a fun subplot to the novel.  While I didn't absolutely love Untraceable, I found it entertaining and enjoyable.  I've already checked the next book in the series out from the library.

(Readalikes: I'm sure there are lots of similar books/series, but nothing is coming immediately to mind.  Help!)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, sexual content, and violence

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

At 14 years old, Zoe Guerin lost her life.  Not literally, but the devastated piano prodigy went to jail for causing a car accident that killed three teenagers.  With a genius IQ and a promising musical career in front of her, Zoe threw everything away.  Three years later, her life has—improbably—gotten back on track.  Now 17, Zoe is living in a different city using a different last name.  She even has a new family: her stepfather, Chris Kennedy; his teen son, Lucas; and her infant half-sister, Grace.  Zoe's mother has put the past firmly behind them, not telling Chris or Lucas about Zoe's history.  Impossibly, Zoe's even performing again, this time with her stepbrother, who's also a talented pianist.  Although she'll be forever scarred by the accident, Zoe is trying to be hopeful about her future.

When the grieving father of one of the accident victims disrupts Zoe's concert, her secret comes quickly to light.  In the chaotic aftermath, her mother is found dead in the family's shed.  She's been murdered.  Why would someone kill Maria Kennedy?  As the police investigate the crime, scrutinizing everyone in the family, they discover that each member has been hiding incriminating secrets.  Did one of these secrets lead to Maria's death?  Or did a grief-stricken father finally get his revenge on the family who stole his child?  What really happened the night Zoe's mother died?

The Perfect Girl, the newest mystery/thriller by English author Gilly Macmillan, is an engrossing page turner with a tense, tightly-plotted storyline.  The characters are complex, sympathetic, and intriguing.  Twists and turns keep the tale suspenseful until the very end.  Even though I saw the murderer coming, the novel's finale still surprised me.  There's nothing really cheery or uplifting about this book (in fact, it's pretty depressing), but it is a riveting read sure to satisfy fans of British psychological thrillers (which I am and which it did).

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a few F-bombs, plus milder expletives) and violence

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

The walled city of Canaan provides a safe, protected atmosphere for its small population.  Citizens go to school, work their jobs, care for their families, and—most important of all—write daily entries in the books they keep on their person at all times.  They're instructed to pen only the truth.  Fanciful scribblings will not help them when the Forgetting comes.  Only honesty will let them remember who they are when the veil of forgetfulness drops over Canaan and everyone's memories are wiped clean.  Without a book, a person has no identity, no family, no position in the community.  They are Lost, a fate almost worse than death.

Nadia, the dyer's daughter, is unlike anyone else in her isolated village.  Every 12 years, every person in Canaan loses their memories completely.  Not the quiet teenager.  She never forgets.  Nadia is the only one who knows that some people use the Forgetting to purposely erase their identities or to commit unsavory acts, the consequences of which they will never have to face.  Even the perpetrator won't remember what he/she has done.  With the time of Forgetting fast approaching, Nadia is wary.  What will happen on this night of danger and chaos?  Nadia's hateful older sister has a sinister plan—surely she's not the only one.  

When Gray—the handsome glassblower's son—catches Nadia slipping over the wall into the forbidden beyond, he gives her even more reason to worry.  Not only are the pair growing closer, but they're discovering some shocking secrets about Canaan.  With the Forgetting only days away, Nadia is desperate not to lose Gray.  She needs him—not just to confront the Council with what they know, but also to fill the emptiness in her aching heart.  How can Nadia make him remember?  Can she survive if everything Gray knows about their duty, their friendship, and their love just ... disappears?  If a person doesn't live in another's memory, do they even exist at all?

The Forgetting, a new YA novel by Sharon Cameron, explores some fascinating issues about memory, truth, and identity.  While the story's set-up is a little confusing at first, the rules of Canaan society soon become evident, allowing the novel's tense, exciting plot to take center stage.  The characters are complex, engaging, and empathetic.  Nadia and Gray make an appealing couple whose love grows naturally.  Their romance offers an engaging subplot, but one that never upstages the real story.  All of these elements come together to create a taut, fast-paced tale with surprising twists and turns.  It's the unsettling philosophical questions it asks, however, that make The Forgetting so compelling.  Who are we now—and who will we become—if we have no memories of who we've been?  Without our memories, is life even worth living?  And, the most disquieting question of all:  What would you do on the night of Forgetting if you knew no one—not even yourself—would remember it come morning?  Despite the chilling implications proposed by these questions, The Forgetting is, at its heart, a hopeful tale.  A perfect read to start off the new year, I loved this book and recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who enjoys an engrossing yarn that truly has it all.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't really think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence, blood/gore, and mild sexual innuendo

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Forgetting from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.