GEORGIA, 1968 – Margaret Rose McCutcheon has just buried her husband and must now name a beneficiary for their estate in case of her demise. She is hard-pressed to do so because there is no one. No children. No family. At least none to speak of. At one time, she had two sisters and six brothers, but the lot of them were scattered to the four winds, with no one knowing where the others went. In the hope of finding at least one of her siblings, Margaret hires a detective and sets off on a journey to uncover the truth of why the family broke apart as it did.

WEST VIRGINIA, 1901 – When Eliza Hobbs gives birth to her sixth child, her husband is not there to welcome his daughter into the world. No surprise, because Martin is seldom there. He works in Charleston and returns to Coal Creek only when he has a mind to. Yes, he sends money on occasion, but seldom enough to make ends meet. Although Eliza believes each new child a blessing, he sees them as yet another responsibility on his already overloaded shoulders. When he discovers another child is on the way, he demands she get rid of it. he stops returning home and there is no more money.

Left with the children, a mountainside patch of land, and a house in sorry need of repair, Eliza seeks help and turns to someone powerful enough to hold sway over Martin and force him into providing for his family. Pushed to the brink, Martin does something unforgivable and the family is forever torn apart.

Now, after all these years, will Margaret be the one to find the pieces of her broken family?

Loved this book! Loved the characters, well all except one!! Loved the settings and time frames! Loved the overall story!

The writing transported me into the tale and I was easily able to create vivid imagery.

Ms. Crosby created an ingenious saga that brought out so many emotions while reading it.

Highly recommend this absolutely superb classic by this extraordinary author!!!!

Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗

Mailbox Monday

Click on title for synopsis via GoodReads.

Monday: (05/03/21)

When I Last Saw You by Bette Lee Crosby~ Kindle personal purchase
Say Goodbye by Karen Rose ~ Kindle from Berkley/PenguinRandomHouse

Wednesday: (05/05/21)

Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger~ Kindle from Harlequin via NetGalley

There is no limit to the lies, suspicion, and secrets that can poison the perfect marriage in this twisting novel of suspense by USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda.

Kate Nelson had it all. A flourishing company founded with her husband, John; a happy marriage; and a daughter, Ashlyn. The picture-perfect family. Until John left for another woman. Tish is half his age. Ambitious. She’s cultivated a friendship with Ashlyn. Tish believes she’s won.

She’s wrong.

Tish Nelson has it all. Youth, influence, a life of luxury, and a new husband. But the truth is, there’s a lot of baggage. Namely, his first wife—and suspicions of his infidelity. After all, that’s how she got John. Maybe it’s time for a romantic getaway, far from his vindictive ex. If Kate plans on getting John back, Tish is one step ahead of her.

She thinks.

But what happens next is something neither Kate nor Tish saw coming. As best-laid plans come undone, there’s no telling what a woman will do in the name of love—and revenge.

After Reading The Favorite Daughter, I put this author on my radar and have been waiting patiently, well maybe not so patiently, for this book!!

It’s a big day at EventCo when the company that John and Kate, his first wife, started many years ago goes public on the Stock Market. But Kate, and their only child Ashlyn, are seething because Tish, his 2nd and much younger wife, is trying to move into the spotlight.

John has been under a lot of stress with the company going public so Tish plans what was going to be a romantic getaway weekend. Another reason to take John away is that she is getting feelings that Kate and John might be having thoughts of reconciliation. But John never makes it home. Did he have a heart attack from all the stress or was it murder?

Now the 3 Nelson women are battling it out as to who has complete control over the company. Is it Tish, who they think is a gold digger? Or is it Kate, the first wife who helped built this company and wants revenge on how John humiliated her? Or is it Ashlyn, the only heir apparent, who has been spoiled from her birth 21 years ago?

This was a quick read because I just kept turning the pages to see what the outcome was going to be. The characters were believable. It was a read that transports the reader into the story.

I knew, or at least thought I thought I did, from that fateful day that John died, who was behind everything and fighting to get everything. WRONG!!!! And then the ending that blew me away!!!!

A chilling read that was gripping from the first page to the last.

The reason for not a full 5 stars was for 2 reasons. 1. I felt that some things were repetitive and 2. The ending left me with unanswered questions. Does that mean a sequel?

Either way, I will be once again in waiting mode for Ms. Rouda’s next novel.

Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗

Mailbox Monday

Today’s list is the combination of a couple of weeks. We finally could travel, after a year, to spend the week with my younger son, DIL and 2 granddaughterss

Click on title for synopsis via GoodReads.

Sunday: (04/18/21)

Bright Burning Things by Lisa Harding ebBookfrom HarperVia via NetGalley

Monday: (04/19/21)
Trace Of Doubt by DiAnn Mills ~ Kindle from Tyndale House Publisher via NetGalley

Tuesday: (04/20/21)

Cul-de-sac by Joy Fielding ~ Kindle from Random House via NetGalley

Tuesday: (04/27/21)

Thee Guilt Trip by Sandie Jones ~ Kindle from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley

Dream Girl by Laura Lippman ~ Kindle from Faber & Faber Ltd via NetGalley

Then She Vanishes by Claire Douglas ~ ARC from Harper Collins

Wednesday: (04/28/21)

What To Do When Someone Dies by Nicci French ~ Kindle from Harper Collins

Saturday: (05/01/21)

False Witness by Karin Slaughter ~ ARC from Harper Collins

You may have seen my review on the 21st for this phenomenal book. Before and after reading it, I saw many posts on Facebook about it and received many emails and pressers for it. But I was SHOCKED and HONORED when I saw that a blurb from my review had been used in the email below (the one right above the cover image)!!! I don’t know about you, but whenever this happens, I do get excited!!! A few of my quotes have also ended up in finished copies of a book and I have been named in the acknowledgments.

Has this ever happened to you? Has a quote from a review you wrote ended up in a book or a press release?

Dear Readers: Early word is that my new novel, THE PERFECT DAUGHTER, is one of the most anticipated thrillers of 2021! Publishers Weekly raves, “Palmer’s take on a complex psychological disorder will keep readers in its grip.” That’s the official word, and here’s what readers are saying: The suspense was awesome. Superb.Holy Cow…Wow… This is a psychological thriller that just had me guessing and totally pulled into the storyline the whole time. WOW! That is one word I can use to describe this book. Also mind-blowing, inquisitive, bingeable, just completely and utterly amazing! Had me sucked in from the first page! Never saw the ending coming and that is great writing!  There are hundreds more glowing reviews like these to encourge you to read the book. So what is the psychological disorder at the center of this story? Who is the daughter on the cover? Hmmm…I’ll hold you in suspense and you can click the preorder link to find out.Click here to purchase: bit.ly/PreorderThePerfectDaughter —- —————————- More Praise for THE PERFECT DAUGHTER I’ll go ahead and say it—the best D. J. Palmer yet! What a first-rate, superbly written psychological thriller. Holly hell! My jaw dropped, my nose hit the floor! Before losing other parts of my face: I’m screaming: this is freaking fascinating! Wow! What a story! The Perfect Daughter is the perfect thriller that keeps you guessing from start to finish. Don’t know how he’s going to top this title with his next. I can’t wait to see him try. And then WAIT!!!!   WHAT??  Did I just read that? I had to read the sentence three times to make sure I wasn’t misunderstanding who the murderer was!!!!  A jaw-dropper that I did not see coming nor was it on my radar!!!  Preorder THE PERFECT DAUGHTER before the 4/20/2021 publication date and receive your free copy of THE NEW HUSBAND with proof of purchase. You won’t be dissapointed! Best wishes and sending goodwill as always. -DJ Palmer

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Published by St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: April 20, 2021
ASIN: B08BYC8KX2
Pages: 384
Review Copy From: Publisher via NetGalley
Edition: Kindle
My Rating: 5

The Perfect Daughter is a thriller that explores the truth or lies behind a teenage girl’s multiple personality disorder, from D.J. Palmer, the author of The New Husband.

Grace never dreamt she’d visit her teenaged daughter Penny in the locked ward of a decaying state psychiatric hospital, charged with the murder of a stranger. There was not much question of her daughter’s guilt. Police had her fingerprints on the murder weapon and the victim’s blood on her body and clothes. But they didn’t have a motive.

Grace blames herself, because that’s what mothers do—they look at their choices and wonder, what if? But hindsight offers little more than the chance for regret.

None of this was conceivable the day Penny came into her life. Then, it seemed like a miracle. Penny was found abandoned, with a mysterious past, and it felt like fate brought Penny to her, and her husband Arthur. But as she grew, Penny’s actions grew more disturbing, and different “personalities” emerged.

Arthur and Grace took Penny to different psychiatrists, many of whom believed she was putting on a show to help manage her trauma. But Grace didn’t buy it. The personas were too real, too consistent. It had to be a severe multiple personality disorder. One determined psychiatrist, Dr. Mitch McHugh, helped discover someone new inside Penny—a young girl named Abigail. Is this the nameless girl who was abandoned in the park years ago? Mitch thinks Abigail is the key to Penny’s past and to the murder. But as Grace and Mitch dig deeper, they uncover dark and shocking secrets that put all their lives in grave danger.

D.J. Palmer has crafted another bombshell!!!! A nuclear bombshell!!!

I have been waiting patiently for this book and it did not disappoint!!

I’m not going to reiterate the synopsis but state how this book affected me.

The narrative is told via several POVs. The characters were so lifelike and relatable even though they are flawed. Compassion was felt for many of the cast members to the point that my heart was breaking for them. The suspense was taut with heart-pounding moments. A definite white knuckle read!

And then WAIT!!!! WHAT?? Did I just read that? I had to read the sentence three times to make sure I wasn’t misunderstanding who the murderer was!!!! A jaw-dropper that I did not see coming nor was it on my radar!!!

A read that will transport the reader into the story without knowing what is going on around them.

And now the BIG question. When will the next novel be published so I can put it on my calendar?

Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗

Mailbox Monday

Click on title for synopsis via GoodReads.

Friday: (03/26/21)
My Little Girl by Shalini Boland~ Kindle from Bookouture via NetGalley