Category Archives: Mystery

Mystery, Part of a Series, Review, YA

#review #mystery #YA #seriesstarter A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

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The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it.

But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the crime, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn’t so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth…?

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40916679-a-good-girl-s-guide-to-murder

https://www.amazon.com/Good-Girls-Guide-Murder/dp/1984896369/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0

i bought this book and here is my honest review

Pippa is a rule follower, overachiever, and one that always gets her homework done early. when she has a assignment to do she chooses to pick the missing persons case of a local girl that happened five years before. lots of secrets come to light and the missing girl’s boyfriend was blamed for her disappearance and supposed murder but her body was never found. Pippa is bound and determined to find the real answers and possibly find the real killer. but when the real killer knows Pippa is on the right track to unmask them, she is getting threating notes and is aware that no matter where she is they can get to her.

Holly Jackson started writing stories from a young age, completing her first (poor) attempt at a novel aged fifteen. She lives in London and aside from reading and writing, she enjoys playing video games and watching true crime documentaries so she can pretend to be a detective. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is her first novel.

Horror, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Review, Standalone, Suspense, Thriller

#review #horror #timeloop Kiss, Slay, Replay by Rachel Harrison

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Every wedding guest’s worst nightmare is on repeat in this wild and twisty new horror novel from the New York Times bestselling author of So Thirsty and Play Nice.

It’s the picture-perfect wedding The venue is dreamy, the weather is beautiful, love is in the air—and Willa Sullivan is having a bad time. She’s excited to celebrate her best friends finally having the big wedding they’ve always wanted, but this is the first time she’s seen her ex-fiancé in months, and he brought a date. Everything feels off, like she stumbled into an alternate universe. But things start to look up when Willa meets Danny, the groom’s charming and single childhood best friend. When they sneak off together, their rendezvous is interrupted by a masked killer terrorizing the reception. Willa and Danny fight to save the ones they love and survive the night, but the killer is unrelenting. A final girl, Willa is not.

Or is she? She wakes up and it’s the morning of the wedding. She just had the most intense nightmare of her life. Only as the day unfolds, there are some uncanny coincidences that make her question whether it was really a dream, déjà vu, or something more sinister. After a horrifying turn of events, Willa comes to understand that she’s stuck in a loop of carnage and terror that she must learn how to escape or else suffer a fate worse than death—being an eternal wedding guest.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/234746583-kiss-slay-replay

https://www.amazon.com/Kiss-Slay-Replay-Rachel-Harrison/dp/B0FSK5G8GS/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0

i bought this book and here is my honest review

Willa just went through the worst break up ever, and now she had to slap a happy face on to go to her best friend’s wedding when there is a chance she’s going to see her ex. but one this she isn’t expecting is to see a strange guy in the woods, fall for the grooms best friend and then have to see everyone she loves and cares for die all in one night or so she thinks. Willa has to relive the nightmare of her friend’s wedding over and over again, but with a different killer each time. will she ever get to move on to the next day or will it be a terrible nightmare for the rest of her days.

Rachel Harrison is the author of The Return, nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. Her short fiction has appeared in Guernica and Electric Lit. She lives in New York with her husband and their cat/overlord.

2nd Chance, Mystery, Review, Small Town Romance

#Review #Cozy #SmallTown – Cereal Killer (Blue Skies Bed and Breakfast Mystery Series) by Aubrey Elle

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Blue skies aren’t the only things people will find when they come to Grovepoint, the idyllic small town nestled in the scenic openness of the Midwest.

After an early retirement, Sadie Kenner returns to her hometown and finds a dead body.
She expects the drastic shift between being a high school teacher and taking over as the manager of her aunt’s bed-and-breakfast will come with challenges. But stumbling upon the body of a local baker near the dumpster is something else entirely.

Thrust into a new career in the wake of her aunt’s death, Sadie attempts to learn all she can about the business to reopen Blue Skies B&B after a temporary closure.

Figuring out how to handle the bad press about a body on-site is no small headache. The conundrum of choosing a new bakery to provide exclusive breakfast goods is an even bigger dilemma. Caught between rival bakers and townsfolk who seem too possessive and nosy for their own good, Sadie hopes for a smooth reopening.

Perhaps with the reluctant assistance from her moody niece, Mackenzie, she can help the local rookie cop investigate this murder before another one happens.

 

GOODREADS

 

AMAZON

 

Twinsie Kelly’s Review

This author did not wait to get you hooked and completely invested in the story right away. Unfortunately, Aunt Cyn has passed away and has left the bed and breakfast to Sadie and her brother, Rory. Sadie uses this as an opportunity to “retire early” and start a new life path. No one expected that one of her first days in town, she was going to discover the dead body of the baker her Aunt Cyn contracted with. As Sadie is trying to get her bearings to run the family business, she is dealing with the craziness that comes with being in a small town. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, knows everyone else’s business. With that being said, there are quite a few suspects, but Sadie and her new “family” at the bed and breakfast start to work through things and eventually things work out. Even with a dead body at the start and some really psychotic behavior happening within the town limits, this is a super cute cozy small-town mystery. I am hoping there is even a budding romance coming into future books. Can’t wait to see what other shenanigans will happen at Blue Skies Bed and Breakfast!

 

Aubrey Elle profile image

Aubrey Elle is an author of cozy mysteries. While she also writes romantic suspense as Amabel Daniels, Ring Gone ‘Round the Roses is her debut cozy mystery of a brand-new series. By day, Aubrey chases after her daughters and tries to keep up with her own landscaping, and by night, she writes until the midnight hour. Aubrey lives with her family and many pets in Ottawa Hills, Ohio.

Find more about Aubrey Elle at www.authoraubreyelle.com

Aliens, Dark Humor, Demons, Dragons, Fae, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Part of a Series, Review, Sci Fi, Shifters, Suspense, Thriller, Urban Fantasy/Urban Fiction, Vampire, Werewolf

#Review #Audiobook – One Foot in the Fade (The Fetch Phillips Novels Book 3) by Luke Arnold

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Welcome back to the streets of Sunder City, a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.

In a city that lost its magic, an angel falls in a downtown street. His wings are feathered, whole—undeniably magical—the man clearly flew, because he left one hell of a mess when he plummeted into the sidewalk.

But what sent him up? What brought him down? And will the answers help Fetch bring the magic back for good?

Working alongside necromancers, genies, and shadowy secret societies, through the wildest forests and dingiest dive bars, this case will leave its mark on Fetch’s body, his soul, and the fate of the world.

Praise for the Fetch Phillips novels:

“Superb… With a lead who would be at home in the pages of a Raymond Chandler or James Ellory novel and a nicely twisty plot, this installment makes a strong case for Arnold’s series to enjoy a long run.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Arnold’s universe has everything, including the angst of being human. The perfect story for adult fantasy fans—a tough PI and a murder mystery wrapped around the mysticism of Hogwarts, sprinkled with faerie dust.” ―Library Journal (starred review)

Fetch Phillips Novels
The Last Smile in Sunder City
Dead Man in a Ditch
One Foot in the Fade

 

Goodreads

 

Amazon

Chirp

 

Twinsie Kelly’s Review

I cannot recommend this series/book enough. And if you do pick it up, I recommend it even more to listen to it via audiobook. My personal opinion is that the audio really puts the cherry on top. Fetch is not a super complicated character; he is just trying to find his place. He has for so long believed that the magic disappearing is his fault and has been holding this weight on his shoulders alone, but there have been sparks of the possibility that there may actually be some magic out there.

Fetch is put on a new “case.” This gives us quite a few new characters and a few that we get to see a deeper side of. True to past books, we get Fetch’s same dry humor and him constantly battling himself. But this book…this book really gave me some feels. Fetch and the others were put in some difficult situations that were difficult for me to process, let alone the characters. I mean, I felt like they were REAL. These characters have become a part of me. Earlier I said that I recommend listening to this if you have the chance, I really do because there are parts where the emotion is so intense that I was literally breathless and had tears in my eyes. And folks, I am not a crier. I AM NOT A CRIER! Fetch has evolved so much. I cannot wait to continue his journey and I am hoping to catch up with some of the others on the way. This is hands down one of my favorite books!

 

Luke Arnold

Luke Arnold was born in Australia and has spent the last decade acting his way around the world, playing iconic roles such as Long John Silver in the Emmy-winning Black Sails and his award-winning turn as Michael Hutchence in the INXS mini-series Never Tear Us Apart. When he isn’t performing, Luke is a screenwriter, director, novelist, and ambassador for Save the Children Australia.

Angels, Dark Humor, Demons, Dragons, Fae, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Review, Sci Fi, Suspense, Vampire, Werewolf

#Review #Audiobook – Dead Man in a Ditch (The Fetch Phillips Novels Book 2) by Luke Arnold

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In this brilliant sequel to actor Luke Arnold’s debut The Last Smile in Sunder City, a former soldier turned PI solves crime in a world that’s lost its magic. The name’s Fetch Phillips — what do you need? Cover a Gnome with a crossbow while he does a dodgy deal? Sure. Find out who killed Lance Niles, the big-shot businessman who just arrived in town? I’ll give it shot. Help an old-lady Elf track down her husband’s murderer? That’s right up my alley. What I don’t do, because it’s impossible, is search for a way to bring the goddamn magic back. Rumors got out about what happened with the Professor, so now people keep asking me to fix the world. But there’s no magic in this story. Just dead friends, twisted miracles, and a secret machine made to deliver a single shot of murder. Welcome back to the streets of Sunder City, a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher. Praise for Dead Man in a Ditch: “Superb… With a lead who would be at home in the pages of a Raymond Chandler or James Ellory novel and a nicely twisty plot, this installment makes a strong case for Arnold’s series to enjoy a long run.” ―Publishers Weekly “Arnold’s universe has everything, including the angst of being human. The perfect story for adult fantasy fans—a tough PI and a murder mystery wrapped around the mysticism of Hogwarts, sprinkled with faerie dust.” ―Library Journal (starred review) Fetch Phillips Novels The Last Smile in Sunder City Dead Man in a Ditch One Foot in the Fade

 

Goodreads

 

Amazon

Chirp

 

Twinsie Kelly’s Review

I cannot get enough of this series. I highly recommend listening to it via audiobook. The author/narrator is phenomenal! Every gritty corner, unsavory character, questionable moral, is felt as if you are right in the story. I love the wittiness and how irritatingly twisted up it makes you feel while reading/listening to it. Fetch just can’t catch a break and just when he thinks he has things figured out, he is pulled into something else just as chaotic and crazy and going down another rabbit hole….or dragon hole. There is never a slow moment. All the characters bring something to the table. Every. Single. One. Fetch and the police department are getting along now (kind of), he has “friends,” some people from his past pop back up in his life (and seriously gave me some kind of feels!), but most importantly Fetch started trying to figure out exactly what he is doing. He has switched sides and shared secrets he shouldn’t have. He was a huge part of the problem and just wants to do the right thing. But, like most people (religions, politics, etc.), they all can justify their cause. Fetch needs to dig down deep and figure out what his cause really is.  I am extremely impressed with this series and NEED more!  I am on my way to list to the next in the series! Stay tuned for another review! Bravo, Luke Arnold, on a fantastic job!

Luke Arnold

Luke Arnold was born in Australia and has spent the last decade acting his way around the world, playing iconic roles such as Long John Silver in the Emmy-winning Black Sails and his award-winning turn as Michael Hutchence in the INXS mini-series Never Tear Us Apart. When he isn’t performing, Luke is a screenwriter, director, novelist, and ambassador for Save the Children Australia.

 

Mystery, Review, short story, Thriller, Writers on the River Attending Author

#Review – Blood From A Stone (The Stone Chronicles Book 2) by Maverick Montgomery

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When justice is on the line…leave no Stone unturned.

Bloody and armed with the answers he was willing to die for, Jack Stone is sent spiraling into the city’s seedy underbelly to find the enigmatic Drac. His search comes to a screeching halt when unforeseen events force him to rely on questionable strangers. Now with a price on his head, and his loved ones in the crosshairs as collateral damage, Jack must race to find the man who wants him dead.

 

Goodreads

 

Amazon

 

Twinsie Kelly’s Review

Jack is the cat’s meow! He recently got shot, almost died, drove his baby (the Mustang) into a wall, blew up a bad guy’s SUV and now there is a bounty on his head. He is generally not one to be messed with, but he is an absolute force to be reckoned with when his friends and family are considered collateral damage. Just like the previous book, this one is just as fast and furious! Tons of suspense and action. Word to the wise, when you start this book, plan on finishing it. It moves fast. You will lose track of time and then it will be over. But not over OVER. There is a cliffhanger and now I am patiently (really I am impatiently waiting, lol) for the next book. I NEED to know what happens next and WHY they are out to get JACK! I recommend The Stone Chronicles!

 

Maverick Montgomery profile image

Maverick Montgomery lives in the Midwest with his wife of nine years and their three partners-in-crime, his two dogs, Austen and Ava, and cat, Jude. Considered a self-proclaimed gamer nerd who was holding a game controller long before he picked up a pen. a gear head at heart who can’t resist drooling over any vehicle whether it be classic or modern, Maverick grew up immersed in classic Alfred Hitchcock films, fueling his lifelong fascination with suspense and crime thrillers.

 

When he’s not writing, Maverick can be found tinkering with cars or dreaming of his next project, usually no more five in his mind at once or he can be hiding out in his man cave surrounded by comic books, stacks of video games, and story ideas waiting to be unleashed. Equal parts snark and grit, he pulls his inspiration from Dick Tracy and Punisher comics, or indulging his wife’s latest project antics while figuring out ways to avoid admitting she’s right.

Mystery, Review, Standalone, Thriller

#review #thriller Pretty Dead Things by Kelsey Cox

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Secrets emerge as a Texas beauty pageant turns deadly in this rich and addictive novel with a jaw-dropping twist from psychological suspense author Kelsey Cox.

2000:Isabelle Whitmore vanishes at Sherman Ranch in Anhalt, Texas, without a trace.

2025: The Lone Star Princess Pageant is about to begin, but this year it’s offering more than an annual dose of rhinestone heels and plunging necklines. Competition is stiffer than ever ―and long standing grudges are about to resurface. Ingrid fled Anhalt in the wake of her sister Isabelle’s disappearance and has now returned, just in time for a construction crew to start digging up Sherman Ranch; the pageant brings up past traumas that Melanie can’t forget; Cat, newly sober, starts to feel threatened in ways that bring back old demons; and Sarah Lynn, who comes from a long line of pageant winners, knows that losing is not an option.

When old resentments and new confrontations reach their boiling point, temperatures drop to deadly degrees as a record-setting storm brings down the state’s power grid. With everyone trapped under one roof, scores will be settled, and more than one person will end up dead.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/240019831-pretty-dead-things

https://www.amazon.com/Pretty-Dead-Things-Kelsey-Cox/dp/1250378842/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.gZnshVjW2XFvkzSYTHJt5Ea34L7w4fzlbZPX7pRUr1cgMcuFDTV7UiIv45A911f25kmhM21nCUtHjwfCn-TbaxCWam_rsNuLCkR_xvXVxYk-6VTBbAUSRxULHbU66_192QLztylKMvggMlfk0kjMmnVaX70NT5SULVN0_WErifvuC7g4Cn6bHxPuPy5XsJTk1gMuh43JlFgudCMWFH75MXp5YemgJwO73AdHqUCQvYw.Ifz3JXBIijEMus-765BVbEx03-XjSuOKE2S3gCni0f4&qid=1785854378&sr=8-1

i bought this book and here is my honest review

Small town drama surrounding the local Miss Lone Star Princess Pageant, apparently someone would kill for the title. Izzy went missing 25 years ago and her family never got the answers or knew where she was. friends turned on each other, and Izzy’s boyfriend Ben was the main suspect for the town. But when local teens were trespassing where they weren’t supposed to be they under covered the remains of Izzy, days before the pageant. but now that she’s been found more questions than answers were brought to the surface. will the family get answers now that she was found all these years later or will someone else be added to the Miss Lone Star Princess Pageant death list. omg this was such a great mystery read I never saw the ending coming defiantly keeps you on your toes

Kelsey Cox received her MFA in fiction from Purdue University and works from home in the Texas Hill Country. You can often find her writing at Mammen Family Public Library, chasing around her two young daughters, or watching British mysteries with her mom and aunts. On nights when bedtime goes as planned, she enjoys curling up on the sofa, glass of wine in hand, and a book with complicated characters and a killer twist in her lap.

Mystery, Review, Standalone, Thriller

#review #thriller What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline

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Your family has been attacked, never again to be the same.
Now you have to choose between law…and justice.

Jason Bennett is a suburban dad who owns a court-reporting business, but one night, his life takes a horrific turn. He is driving his family home after his daughter’s lacrosse game when a pickup truck begins tailgating them, on a dark stretch of road. Suddenly two men jump from the pickup and pull guns on Jason, demanding the car. A horrific flash of violence changes his life forever.

Later that awful night, Jason and his family receive a visit from the FBI. The agents tell them that the carjackers were members of a dangerous drug-trafficking organization – and now Jason and his family are in their crosshairs. The agents advise the Bennetts to enter the witness protection program right away, and they have no choice but to agree. But WITSEC was designed to protect criminal informants, not law-abiding families. Taken from all they know, trapped in an unfamiliar life, the Bennetts begin to fall apart at the seams. Then Jason learns a shocking truth and realizes that he has to take matters into his own hands.

Sometimes justice is a one-man show.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58502351-what-happened-to-the-bennetts

https://www.amazon.com/What-Happened-Bennetts-Lisa-Scottoline/dp/0525539751/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0

i bought this book and here is my honest review

When the Bennett family is on their way home from their daughter’s game, they end up getting in a dangerous situation, that ends up with their daughter getting killed, and the rest in witness protection service. with them basically disappearing overnight and it happens so fast, it leaves them having to deal with their neighbors thinking the worst things ever. but the rumors are nowhere near the truth they never are, but when you are hiding and trying to deal with some very dangerous people things get crossed and bullets fly. will they ever be able to set the record straight or will they be a ghost of the past.

Lisa Scottoline is a #1 bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of 33 novels. Lisa’s books are book-club favorites, and she and her daughter Francesca Serritella have hosted an annual Big Book Club Party for over a thousand readers at her Pennsylvania farm, for the past twelve years. Lisa has been President of Mystery Writers of America and she reviews fiction and non-fiction for the New York Times, Washington Post, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She also writes a weekly column with her daughter for The Philadelphia Inquirer entitled Chick Wit, a witty take on life from a woman’s perspective, which have been collected in a bestselling series of humorous memoirs. Lisa graduated magna cum laude in three years from the University of Pennsylvania, with a B.A. degree in English, and cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she taught Justice & Fiction. She has over 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 35 countries. She lives with an array of disobedient pets, and wouldn’t have it any other way.

Anti-Hero, Demons, Dragons, Fae, Fantasy, Mystery, Mythology, Paranormal, Part of a Series, Review, Suspense, Vampire, Werewolf, Witches

#Review #Audio – The Last Smile in Sunder City (The Fetch Phillips Novels) Book 1 by Luke Arnold

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In a world that’s lost its magic, a former soldier turned PI solves cases for the fantasy creatures whose lives he ruined in an imaginative debut fantasy by Black Sails actor Luke Arnold.

Welcome to Sunder City. The magic is gone but the monsters remain.

I’m Fetch Phillips, just like it says on the window. There are a few things you should know before you hire me:

1. Sobriety costs extra.
2. My services are confidential.
3. I don’t work for humans.

It’s nothing personal–I’m human myself. But after what happened to the magic, it’s not the humans who need my help.

Walk the streets of Sunder City and meet Fetch, his magical clients, and a darkly imagined world perfect for readers of Ben Aaronovitch and Jim Butcher.

Praise for The Last Smile in Sunder City:

“A richly imagined world…Winningly combining the grit of Chinatown with the quirky charm of Harry Potter, this series opener is sure to have readers coming back for more.” ―Publishers Weekly

“A marvelous noir voice; Arnold has captured the spirit of the genre perfectly and wrapped it around a fantasy setting with consummate skill.” ―Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones

Fetch Phillips Novels
The Last Smile in Sunder City
Dead Man in a Ditch
One Foot in the Fade

 

Goodreads

 

Amazon

Chirp

 

Twinsie Kelly’s Review

The Last Smile in Sunder City has a Noir Comic feel and is a great story. I listened to the story via audiobook and as kept thinking to myself, “how did the author come up with this title?” Then all of a sudden, it hit me and it fits this story perfectly. The world building is very intricate with a lot of twisted turns. Fetch has spent a lot of his life trying to find his place. Where does he belong, what is right and wrong, which side does he belong to? At this point in his life, he carries a great burden as he feels that he is the reason all the magic is gone. He caused this and is now in a constant state of loneliness and has basically shunned all humans, like himself. However, this latest case takes him down a rabbit hole that makes him remember much of his past and sparks a hope for the future. It is magical, gritty, dark, but witty. The narrator has the perfect voice for this type of storytelling. I look forward to uncovering more of Fetch’s monsters and seeing what else lies in the shadows of Sunder City.

 

 

Audio Book, Comedy, Dark Humor, Mystery, Review, Satire

#Review #Audio – Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen

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Chaz Perrone might be the only marine scientist in the world who doesn’t know which way the Gulf Stream runs. He might also be the only one who went into biology just to make a killing, and now he’s found a way–doctoring water samples so that a ruthless agribusiness tycoon can continue illegally dumping fertilizer into the endangered Everglades. When Chaz suspects that his wife, Joey, has figured out his scam, he pushes her overboard from a cruise liner into the night-dark Atlantic. Unfortunately for Chaz, his wife doesn’t die in the fall.

Clinging blindly to a bale of Jamaican pot, Joey Perrone is plucked from the ocean by former cop and current loner Mick Stranahan. Instead of rushing to the police and reporting her husband’s crime, Joey decides to stay dead and (with Mick’s help) screw with Chaz until he screws himself.

As Joey haunts and taunts her homicidal husband, as Chaz’s cold-blooded cohorts in pollution grow uneasy about his ineptitude and increasingly erratic behavior, as Mick Stranahan discovers that six failed marriages and years of island solitude haven’t killed the reckless romantic in him, we’re taken on a hilarious, full-throttle, pure Hiaasen ride through the warped politics and mayhem of the human environment, and the human heart.

 

Goodreads

 

Amazon

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Twinsie Kelly’s Review

Skinny Dip is hilariously incredible! There is never a dull moment during this story. There are so many characters, all well developed, and each one plays a very important part with the story. Every decision, twist, turn, haunting, cheating, discovery….all of everything, I was hooked. What am I saying? I am hooked! This is the second book I have read by this author and Carl Hiaasen is in my top ten favorite! On more than one occasion I sat here with my mouth open, shaking my head in disbelief at what just happened then laughed my butt off at the response! It is hilarious if you have a twisted sense of humor….like me! I love the hijinks and craziness. Skinny Dip is one of those stories that is a train wreck that you just can’t stop watching. You just know something bad is going to happen, but you can’t look away. OOOOOHHHHH, and poor Chaz. How this comes full circle for him in the end had me in stitches. Literally, I was laughing out loud. Let me tell you that it was the absolute perfect ending.

 

Carl Hiaasen profile image

Carl Hiaasen was born and raised in Florida, where he still lives. He is a prize-winning journalist with a regular column in the Miami Herald and many articles in varied magazines. He started writing crime fiction in the early 1980s and has recently branched out into children’s books; he has also had several works of non-fiction published.