The Hunter's Daughter by Nicola Solvinic

 

First line:  The first time I killed a man was on Tuesday.

Plot summary:  Anna Koray is a sheriff's lieutenant in rural Bayern County. It's where she grew up. But no one knows that. Just like no one knows her father was Stephen Theron, the notorious serial killer known as the Forest Strangler. For a long time, even Anna didn't know it because when she was young, a psychiatrist helped seal away her memories of him. But those memories are starting to return. And she's blacking out and losing time. Not only that, they just found a murdered young woman posed in a way that eerily resembles her father's victims. Is it a copycat? Her father returned from the dead? The Forest God he served? Or is it her?

My thoughts:  Taut. Eerie. Dark. Atmospheric. Disturbing at times (though never graphic or gory). And very compelling. The Hunter's Daughter is a layered mystery that kept me guessing until the end. Anna is a complex character haunted not only by her childhood memories, but by her father's legacy. There are times when she questions her own sanity. She's tried to be a good person and a good police officer, but people keep dying around her. And she's desperate to keep her past a secret, even to the point where she interferes with the murder investigation. I liked how I was never totally sure if I could trust her or not, though I really wanted to, because she's also a very sympathetic character. There were a lot of twists and red herrings along the way, but good hints and clues, too. And the ending was satisfying. I liked this one a lot. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Happy Reading!

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest

 

This one is just fun! Leda Foley runs her own travel agency, though she only has two clients at the moment. And she sometimes gets psychic vibes, though not consistently or accurately. But she's getting better at it. She does Klairvoyant Karaoke several times a week at a local bar, and she just saved Detective Grady Merritt's life when she got a bad feeling and rebooked his flight home at the last minute. Now Detective Merritt wants her to help him with a tricky murder case. He hopes her psychic ability will give him a new lead. Despite her doubts, Leda agrees. She doesn't know if she'll be any help on Grady's case, but she hopes he might be able to solve the three-year-old murder of her fiancé, Tod.

There's so much to like about this book! Leda is engaging and quirky. Grady is more down-to-earth, a diligent detective and a good single Dad. Between his police work and her psychic flashes they make for an entertaining team. There's fun banter between the characters and Priest's writing is so humorous. I'd happily read many more mysteries with these two characters! Thanks, Verushka @ pop.edit.lit for recommending this book. It's a delightful read. 

Happy Reading!

My other favorite Cherie Priest read:

Foxglove Summer

"The news cycle reset at the top of the hour and I learned that the tiny village of Rushpool in sleepy rural Herefordshire was the center of a massive police search operation for two eleven-year-old girls, best friends, Nicole Lacey and Hannah Marstowe, who had been missing for over forty-eight hours. Neighbors were said to be shocked and time was running out."

SUMMARY:  Peter Grant, police constable and apprentice wizard, is sent to Rushpool from London to see if there's a magical connection to these disappearances. What he finds is traces of vestigia and a few other clues that point him toward the fae. It's not what he was hoping for, because the land of the fae is tricky to navigate. Luckily, his river goddess girlfriend comes to help him try to find the girls and bring them back.

Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch is a fun investigative mystery, although I was expecting there to be a lot more magic than there was. Still, it does have an invisible unicorn in it. And Peter is a great character. I liked his girlfriend, Beverley Brook, too. I just wish I'd read the previous four books in this series before this one so I understood the many references to past characters better. But the mystery itself needed no extra clarification. (Although it could have moved at a slightly faster pace and had a touch more suspense in it.) Still, I'll definitely be reading the other books in this series. In order this time!

Happy Reading!