Adele is a marriage counselor with famous parents. Usually she helps other couples but now her own marriage is in trouble. Her husband Patrick disappears, he never told his work that Adele existed and he has apparently been on vacation for the past two weeks. Where and why has he gone?
The Marriage Counselor is a psychological thriller set in America.
Adele knows her own marriage isn’t perfect but nothing prepares her for the events that ensue when her husband goes missing. The police officer that comes to inform her of the disappearance is her first love but she isn’t sure if she can trust him. She secretly starts to investigate her husband and makes some shocking discoveries: did she know him at all?! Meanwhile the press gets hold of allegations against her celebrity therapist parents leading Adele to reflect on secrets from the past.
There are a lot of threads to unpick in this book with personal and professional angles for Adele, Patrick and her parents. Events move quite quickly as the truth for these various aspects start to be revealed. I wanted to know the truth almost as much as Adele!
The book is written from Adele’s first person perspective which allows us to understand her confusion and gradual realisation of the truth about her husband and relationship. Adele seems to be very much a victim at first as Patrick is portrayed as an awful man and she is blamed for her parents’ actions. There are lotsof twists even on the final page…
The Marriage Counselor is an intriguing thriller about love and lies.
The Marriage Counselor: A totally pulse-pounding psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist by Dea Poirier
“Adele, we believe your husband is missing.” As everything around me starts to blur, I go over the words once more: “your husband is missing.” Four simple words with the power to shatter my whole world in an instant.
Working as a marriage counselor I’m used to the tragedies that come out of nowhere. People trust me to help them through life’s big moments. The things that leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about the person you love the most.
But I never thought trouble would land on my own doorstep.
As I start to piece together our last conversation desperate for any clues I can find, the cop standing in front of me reveals that my husband never told his co-workers he was married. He was seemingly living a double life right in front of me.
Days later, as I search through our home, I discover a hidden box of baby clothes that suggest my husband was starting to build the perfect life without me.
My entire career has been built on separating the truth from the lies. My husband may think he has pulled off the greatest lie of all but he is not the only one keeping a secret in this marriage.
All I know for certain is that when the truth comes out, only one of us will make it out alive.
A totally addictive and unputdownable psychological thriller about deadly obsession and twisted lies perfect for fans of Gone Girl, The Perfect Marriage, The Wife Before Me and anything by Freida McFadden.
About the author
Dea (D.H) Poirier is the author of NEXT GIRL TO DIE, which hit #1 in the Amazon charts and the bestselling thriller FIND ME IN THE DARK. She was raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, where she got her start writing in creative writing courses. She attended The University of Central Oklahoma for Computer Science. Later, she spent time living on both coasts, and traveling the United States, before finally putting down roots in Central Florida. She now resides somewhere between Disney and the swamp.
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1917, Fiona and Kitty head to Egypt to search for the spy Fredricks who hinted at a German plot which could be important to the war effort. They meet famous archaeologists Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon before finding a freshly dead body in an ancient tomb…
Covert in Cairo is the second book to feature Fiona and Kitty as they try to work undercover to help win the First World War. I have previously reviewed the first book in the series, Chaos at Carnegie Hall.
Despite her mistrust of Fredricks, Fiona follows his advice and heads to Cairo alongside Kitty and Clifford in the hope of uncovering a German plot. Soon after their arrival a body is found, then they discover two injured men in a tomb. One dies and the other is Fredricks who quickly disappears again. There are plenty of red herrings, suspicious behaviour, lies about alibis, and a host of suspects for Fiona to investigate.
The book is written from Fiona’s first person perspective and this adds a personal and chatty tone to the narrative. There is humour as the women get into scrapes trying to follow clues and find the killer, as well as Fiona’s scorn towards Poppy the dog. The author has researched the 1910s and the social conventions of the time that governed the attitudes of the characters. I liked the inclusion of real characters from the era and location.
Covert in Cairo is an enjoyable cosy murder mystery mixed with history and espionage.
Covert in Cairo
Cairo. December 1917.
Following a tip-off from notorious spy Fredrick Fredricks, Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane of British Intelligence find themselves in the hustle and bustle of Egypt. But ancient mummies aren’t the only bodies buried in the tombs of Cairo.
When a young French archeologist is found dead in a tomb in the desert with his head bashed in, and an undercover British agent goes missing, the threat moves closer to home.
As they dig deeper, soon Fiona and Kitty uncover a treasure trove of suspects, including competing excavators, jealous husbands, secret lovers, and belligerent spies! Fiona wonders if the notorious Fredrick Fredricks could be behind the murders? Or is the plot even more sinister?
One thing is clear – If Fiona and Kitty can’t catch the killer, they might end up sharing a sarcophagus with Nefertiti.
With humor as dry as the Arabian desert, and pacing as fast as a spitting camel, Fiona and Kitty are back in another sparkling adventure, this time in WW1 Egypt.
Author Bio –
Kelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of three mysteries series: The Jessica James Mysteries, The Pet Detective Mysteries, and the historical cozies The Fiona Figg Mysteries, set in WW1. She is also the Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She is bringing new titles in the Fiona Figg series to Boldwood, the first of which, Chaos in Carnegie Hall, will be published in November 2022.
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Penny returns to her shop to find a dead body on the toilet and a bizarre message from her cousin Izzy telling her not to inform the authorities. Who is the dead woman and why was she is in the shop?
The Sequinned Cape Murders is the third book in the Cosy Craft series of cosy murder mysteries. I have recently reviewed the first two books in the series: The Wonderland Murders and The Painted Lobster Murders.
Penny and Izzy have an unknown dead woman in their toilet. We are straight into the murder mystery compared to the previous books but we know nothing of the victim. There are no indications of her identity, how she got in their shop or how she died. The pair undertake an investigation whilst trying to sort out the costumes for a fancy dress party. I felt proud of myself as I guessed the culprit this time! This didn’t spoil my enjoyment at all.
The murder has slightly more prominence in this book compared to the earlier books in my opinion. However there is still a hefty proportion of the plot dedicated to the sewing escapades of the main duo. There is also a romantic angle for both Penny and Izzy which was an enjoyable addition to the plot and series. The tone of the writing is light hearted and there is a gentle and warm humour layered throughout the plot and characters. I loved the home episodes showing us Izzy’s family life and their quirky behaviour.
The Sequinned Cape Murders is a fun and enjoyable cosy murder mystery.
The Sequinned Cape Murders
Cozy Craft Mysteries can be read in any order. A funny whodunnit series, full of charming characters and mysteries that will keep you guessing to the very end.
Things are going great for Penny Slipper. Running a sewing shop in the middle of the English countryside is like a dream come true and she’s got her colourful cousin Izzy and her corgi, Monty, to keep her entertained.
Her grandma’s eightieth birthday is coming up soon and Penny and Izzy are busier than ever, making fancy dress costumes for the party guests.
However, Penny’s dream life is thrown into chaos when a murdered woman is found in the bathroom of her cosy flat above the shop. With the doors and the windows all locked, no one can understand how this mystery corpse got there.
But things take a further sinister turn when a local shopkeeper is also killed. There’s a murderer on the loose and no one is safe!
Can Penny and Izzy uncover the answers and unmask the criminal in their midst?
If your ideal book features mystery, friendship, cute romance, even cuter animals, crafting and a big slice of birthday cake then this is the book for you.
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Author Bio – Millie Ravensworth writes the Cozy Craft Mystery series of books. Her love of murder mysteries and passion for dressmaking made her want to write books full of quirky characters and unbelievable murders. Millie lives in central England where children and pets are something of a distraction from the serious business of writing, although dog walking is always a good time to plot the next book.
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TRIGGER WARNING: war crimes and anti-Semitism
Julia’s father has gone to fight the Nazis and now she wants to help save her country. She is reunited with two boys from her childhood, now grown men, but on opposing sides of the fight…
The Polish Daughter is the third book in the WW2 Polish resistance series and I have previously reviewed the first two books, The Polish Girl and The Polish Wife.
Julia’s Jewish mother died giving birth to her and now her father has left to join the fight. Julia begins to work for the resistance and meets Alek who she has a negative history with. She also sees her former sweetheart Nikolaj and their relationship seems ready to start up again. But Julia is shocked by the secrets she uncovers and her heart reels from the sad truth.
Most of the book is written from the viewpoints of Julia and Alek but there are also some chilling diary entries from Nikolaj. The author includes characters and events from the previous books but it is not necessary to have read the books in order. We don’t find out about the incident of antagonism between Julia and Alek until halfway through the book and I was starting to wonder why she was so keen to think badly of him.
The brutality of the soldiers and Nikolaj’s twisted opinions were difficult to read at times. Julia is almost emotionally broken by her experiences but she decides to stay strong to honour those who have died. The softening of the relationship between Julia and Alek gives the book a lighter and more hopeful angle. There is a powerful message about the strength of human spirit even in the darkest days.
The Polish Daughter is an emotional historical novel.
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The Polish Daughter: A completely heartbreaking and addictive World War Two historical fiction novel (The Secret Resistance Series)
Poland, 1944: Armed men line the streets and herd us forward as they pull people from the crowd. My heart pounds as I hear a familiar cry. They have my best friend. I desperately push through to her, to save her. But we are too densely packed in. I can’t hold back my sobs as she disappears from sight. I am too late…
When war broke out, Julia’s father, a high-ranking Polish officer, took her from Warsaw to keep her safe. Now her father is missing in action, Julia has returned home to find him and fight for the resistance—but the city is more dangerous than she ever thought it could be.
When she is trapped in the ghetto, Nazis shoving people into the streets all around her, Julia can only watch in horror as her dearest friend is dragged away. It seems she is about to suffer the same awful fate, until her childhood sweetheart, Nikolaj, appears in enemy uniform and stops the guards with one word.
Surely the boy Julia remembers would never side with the Germans? In the safety of his private room, he explains he is a resistance spy within the ranks of Nazi officers. But the longer he keeps her in the barracks, surrounded by his soldiers, the more Julia grows uneasy about the man she once knew…
Half-Jewish and with her father a wanted man, how safe can she be behind enemy lines? And, not knowing who to trust, will she ever be able to reunite with her captured friend, and her beloved father—or will the war tear them apart forever?
This utterly heartbreaking, unputdownable and inspiring historical fiction novel will have you reaching for the tissues. Perfect for fans of Orphan Train, The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz.
About Gosia Nealon
While Gosia Nealon is a proud New Yorker, she was born and raised in Poland. Her journey to the Big Apple revealed a wealth of cultural differences, but also the values that connect us all. Like the fierce desire to protect family, find love, and ultimately, discover who we are and why we’re here.
Gosia’s award-winning short stories have always delved into life’s biggest questions, but it was the drama, sacrifice, and tragedy of WWII that led her to pen her debut novel, which won a gold medal in the 2022 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY).
Growing up in Poland, Gosia heard many firsthand accounts of the war, told from a perspective rarely captured in mainstream literature. She was compelled to breathe life into two young people falling in love in the midst of the most terrifying conflict of our time.
When Gosia isn’t tapping away at her laptop, she’s often walking the streets of New York. With her husband and two young sons in tow, they search for the most succulent pierogi, transporting them back to the cobbled streets of her childhood.
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