That's Not My Name by Megan Lally

 

The GIRL:  "I think I might be dead."  She wakes up in a ditch by the side of the road, bruised and bloodied. And unable to remember who she is or how she got there. The police find her, and so does a man claiming to be her father. He says her name is Mary Boone. And he has photos of her, an old school ID, and her birth certificate. He must be telling the truth. So why does nothing about him feel familiar?

DREW:  "Life really goes to shit when everyone thinks you killed your girlfriend."  Drew's girlfriend, Lola, went missing five weeks ago, and everyone in their small Oregon town blames him, including the police. They keep trying to get him to confess. But Drew knows he didn't hurt her; he thinks someone may have taken her. And he's determined to do everything he can to find her. 

My thoughts:  What a fun summer thriller! Lally does a great job of building a sense of dread and unease as she alternates between Mary's and Drew's POV.  Mary's fears grow as she notices inconsistencies in her father's story; and Drew's desperate search for Lola is equally compelling. These two characters are both believeable and easy to root for. The story itself has suspense and tension and a good twist at the end. I really liked it. 4.5/5 stars.

The Next Grave by Kendra Elliot

 

First line:  The breeze carried the scent to Detective Evan Bolton's nose, and he instantly knew his day was going to suck.

The case:  First, retired cop Rod Mcleod, Detective Evan Bolton's friend and mentor, is murdered. Then Rod's daughter, Sophia, goes missing. As Evan investigates the murder, he discovers that Rod was looking into some old cases. It's puzzling. Could the killer be someone in law enforcement? And is Evan next on his hitlist? 

My thoughts: This mystery has great writing, likable characters, and some nice twists. The suspense really mounts as Evan's investigation puts his own life in danger. Rowan and her search-and-rescue dog, Thor, are also on the scene. She and Evan are so great together; I love how they support each other both on the job and at home. And I really like how Kendra Elliot writes mysteries. She's become on of my most favorite authors. And this book? As compelling and entertaining as all her others.

Happy Reading!

Previous book about Rowan and Evan:  The First Death

The First Death by Kendra Elliot

 

Deschutes County, Oregon

When Rowan Wolff was five, she and her brother, Malcolm, were kidnapped. Rowan was saved; her brother was never found. Now, twenty-five years later, Rowan helps to find the lost and the missing with her SAR dog, Thor. And every year on Malcolm's birthday, she returns to the forest where she was found to search for his remains. On one of these searches, she discovers the body of a young woman. Her death seems to match the recent murders of two other young women. Detective Evan Bolton, who's assigned to the case, suspects they might have a serial killer on their hands. And the more he investigates, the more convinced he becomes that these cases relate somehow to Rowan's and her brother's kidnapping.

My thoughts:  Kendra Elliot knows how to craft a compelling mystery with some very engaging characters. Her Mercy Kilpatrick series is a favorite of mine, which is where she first introduces readers to Evan and Rowan. But now they have their own book. And I loved getting to know them better. Thor, too, of course! Elliot does an excellent job of weaving Rowan's past experiences in with Evan's current investigation. And the ending, as the truth of the situation finally comes out, is both exciting and satisfying. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to check out The Next Grave, and read more about Evan and Rowan and their developing relationship. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Other Kendra Elliot novels I've posted about:

A Merciful Secret

In the Pines

In the Pines by Kendra Elliot

 "Three weeks ago a lawyer had posted online a rambling ten-line composition titled 'In the Pines' that supposedly led to a $2 million hidden treasure. The lines had been written by recently deceased millionaire Chester Rollins, and the public had voraciously tackled the mystery, speculating about which words were actual references to the treasure and which were red herrings. This week Truman Daly's tiny Central Oregon town had been swarmed as some of the treasure hunters decided one line was an allusion to the city of Eagle's Nest." 

 A treasure hunt. Lots of crazy treasure hunters. A murder. A missing woman and her 18-month-old daughter. Two precocious kids. Family secrets. Twists and turns. And FBI agent Mercy Kilpatrick, her husband, police chief Truman Daly, and their friend Evan Bolton, a sheriff's detective in the neighboring Deschutes County. What more could anyone want in a book?

I love Kendra Elliot's entire series centered around Mercy and Truman, so I was very excited to read this latest book of hers. And it's SO good! The mystery is compelling. There's good pacing and suspense. And the interactions between Mercy and Truman and the two teens they've adopted always make me smile. I was so happy to be back in Eagle's Nest that I finished this one in two days, and then I was sad it was over so fast. If you want to read some really good mysteries with very memorable and likable characters, then check this series out. 

Happy Reading!

Other Kendra Elliot books I've reviewed:

A Merciful Death

A Merciful Truth

A Merciful Secret

In the Waning Light by Loreth Anne White

 

The story: Twenty years ago, Meg Brogan's older sister, Sherry, was raped and murdered. Meg herself nearly died that same night. When she woke from her coma she couldn't remember what she'd seen or what really happened to Sherry. Now, a successful true crime writer, Meg's returned to Shelter Bay, Oregon, to investigate her sister's murder. But no one in town wants her to rake up the past. And as Meg digs deeper, she begins to realize everyone around her is keeping secrets or telling lies about what happened that night. But she refuses to give up. Even when it puts her own life in danger. 

My thoughts:  Loreth Anne White knows how to write a compelling and suspenseful mystery. And Meg makes for a memorable character; she's stubborn, and feisty, and a little fragile at times as she struggles to retrieve her own uncertain memories of that awful day. My other two favorite characters were Blake Sutton, Meg's high school sweetheart whom she hasn't seen since she was eighteen, and his young son, Noah. Blake's keeping his own secrets about that day, which only added to the tension between them. The one thing I didn't love was reading all the snippets and excerpts from The Stranger Among Us, the book Meg is writing about her sister. I didn't feel like it added anything to the story. But the rest of the book is really good. So even though this is not my favorite Loreth Anne White novel, I still liked it a lot. 

Happy Reading!

Other books by Loreth Anne White that I've read:

In the Barren Ground

In the Dark

Bookish suspense...

A Merciful Secret by Kendra Elliot is the third Mercy Kilpatrick mystery, and I think it's my favorite so far. Mercy is an FBI agent working out of Bend, Oregon. Her boyfriend, Truman Daly, is the sheriff of Eagle's Nest, the small Oregon town where Mercy grew up. And they're such a great team! I love Mercy's prepper past, and how well she and Truman work together when they're solving a case.

Their case this time involves a judge in Portland, and an old woman living miles away in a cabin in the woods. They have nothing in common except how they were murdered. Mercy literally gets dragged into the case by the old woman's granddaughter, Morrigan. The twist? The grandmother and her daughter, Salome, are apparently witches. Is that why they were killed? And how are they connected to the murdered judge? It's a mystery...and one Mercy and Truman are determined to solve before anyone else dies.

I love the way Elliot spins a story and how she builds suspense in her novels. And I love her characters--even the secondary ones like Mercy's blind sister, Rose, and her hipster FBI partner, Eddie. This is definitely my new favorite mystery series. Intrigued? Check out her previous books, A Merciful Death and A Merciful Truth, first. You won't be sorry.

Happy Reading!

The Child Finder

"This is something I know:  no matter how far you have run, no matter how long you have been lost, it is never too late to be found."

Her name is Naomi.  She has a gift for finding lost children.  Maybe because she knows what it's like to be lost herself. Her case this time involves a girl named Madison Culver who went missing three years ago in Oregon's Skookum National Forest in the middle of a snowstorm. She'd be eight now...if she's survived. To find her, Naomi must start from scratch.

"Naomi always began by learning to love the world where the child went missing. It was like carefully unraveling a twisted ball of yarn. A bus stop that led to a driver that led to a basement room, carefully carpeted in soundproofing. A ditch in full flood that led to a river, where sadness awaited on the shore ... Each missing place was a portal."

Then there's Madison. Only she's not Madison any more. To stay alive she's had to become something else...someone else.

"The snow girl could remember the day she was born. In brilliant snow she had been created--two tired arms out, like an angel--and her creator was there. His face was a halo of light. ... When she woke it was dark, like the inside of a cave. Snow was falling outside. She couldn't see it, but she could feel it. It's funny how you can hear something as soft as falling snow."

I loved this book. It's a mystery that reads almost like a fairy tale. Naomi is such a luminous character. And I loved the way the author, Rene Denfeld, interweaves Madison's narrative with the Snow Girl tale. In many ways, this book reminded me a lot of Eowyn Ivey's The Snow Child, even though they are two very different stories. Each is magical. And Denfeld's writing is amazing. After two disappointing reads in a row, this novel was a breath of snow-fresh air. I hope Denfeld writes many more just like it.

Happy Reading!