Author: pleasantnites

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Matthew Hill normally investigates missing children as part of his job as a PI; however, his own daughter goes missing, and he’s at a loss for how to find her.

When Amelie and her mother, Sally, go shopping, Sally takes a phone call and Amelie is taken. Matthew’s partner, Melanie, is tasked with finding Amelie. The primary suspect is a woman who has been sending Matthew letters, blaming him for her son’s death.

Outside of her, there are no other suspects. Melanie has to rely on eyewitnesses to come forward, CCTV, and luck. Each chapter is told from a different character’s perspective, but when we reach Olivia’s chapter, the story really begins to unfold. I thought this book was really good. I read I Am Watching You a while ago and enjoyed that one, as well. Looking forward to more from this author.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I love Rachel Harrison’s books. They are such a fresh take on a horror subgenre. Cackle tackles witches. Black Sheep (my favorite) is about cults. And So Thirsty is her take on vampires. In Play Nice, we have a haunted house, of sorts.

When their estranged mother dies, Leda, Daphne, and Clio struggle with how to process their loss. Clio, our narrator, decides she’s going to revitalize their childhood home, which is allegedly haunted, and sell it for a profit. Of course, being a horror book, we know there’s no allegedly here. The house is most definitely haunted.

Through the process, Clio is reading the book her mother wrote about the house and her experience living in it with her daughters. Some parts, Clio finds, are fictionalized, but others jog her memory from when she lived there as a child. Her sisters think Clio is losing her mind.

Although I’ve read many more horrifying books about haunted houses, this one was a great dive into memory, psychological terror, and loss.

Title: A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer

Author: Maxie Dara

Genre: horror

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Oh, this book was such a fun read. Kathy is a grim reaper. Yes, she’s human, but the collection of souls is actually a job. When she goes to find her most recent soul, Connor, he’s missing. She eventually finds him nearby, but he refuses to be processed. Connor swears he was murdered by someone from SCYTHE, Kathy’s employer.

The banter between middle-aged, pregnant Kathy and teenage Conner is hilarious. With each chapter as a countdown to Connor becoming a ghost, the pressure is on for Kathy to figure out what happened to him. I loved this book. It’s fun and heart-warming, and I definitely want to read the next book in the series.

Title: The Puzzle Master

Author: Danielle Trussoni

Genre: mystery

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

This book was a ton of fun. Mike sustained a head injury as a teenager, which unlocked his brain, and he can now see puzzles, do extensive math, and has an eidetic memory. He spends most of his time creating puzzles for newspapers. However, when a convicted murderer demands to speak with him, he’s drawn into a puzzle he’s never seen before.

Jess Price was convicted of murdering her ex-boyfriend, but she claims she is innocent. When Mike meets her, she gives him a puzzle he cannot solve. But that puzzle is the key to understanding what happened to her. It happens to be the God Puzzle, created centuries earlier. And the story of whose hands that puzzle got into is pretty crazy.

I really enjoyed this book, even though math and puzzles aren’t my thing. The author did a great job of not leaving me behind in the explanations. Mike is a fun character, and I look forward to the sequel.

Title: Identikill

Author: KR Alexander

Genre: Middle grade horror

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Twins Chelsea and Angelica are inseparable, even though Angelica died several years ago. No one believes that Chelsea can still see her twin, and she has lost several friends who think she’s crazy when she tells them.

However, Chelsea befriends a new girl who is kind and thoughtful. She and Jeanette get to know one another, and Angelica is jealous. As her jealousy grows, so does her strength. Soon, Chelsea becomes weaker as her twin gets stronger. Angelica can also impact the real world by moving things.

This book was a lot of fun. A quick read at under 200 pages, perfect for middle school kids. I loved the twist at the end, as well. Really enjoyable and I’m looking forward to the sequel.