TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “THE DISINVITED GUEST”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is one of my new books:  The Disinvited Guest, by Carol Goodman.

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Intro:

“We’re here.”

Reed’s voice wakes me from the fitful sleep I’d fallen into somewhere north of Portland, the slap of wipers and sluice of tires accomplishing what bourbon and sleeping pills had failed to do for the past two weeks.

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Teaser:

She had looked startled.  And then she said, I think you treat yourself like trash.

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Synopsis:

Lucy Harper still has traumatic memories and lingering health problems from the 2020 pandemic. So, when a new virus surfaces years later, she and her husband, Reed, seek refuge on his family’s private island off the coast of Maine. Ostensibly safely sequestered with their five closest friends and family, Lucy should feel at ease. So why does she feel the weight of the island’s dark history pushing down on the group?

As Lucy uncovers Reed’s family secrets and the island’s history as a quarantine hospital for typhus patients, she becomes obsessed with the past and feels her own grip on reality slipping. Tempers flare, strange signs appear in the woods, and accidents turn deadly. Is the island haunted by the dead? Or is someone amongst the living taking their revenge? 

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What do you think?  Keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is “Where the Crawdads Sing,” by Delia Owens.

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Intro:

(Prologue)

1969

Marsh is not swamp.  Marsh is a space of light, where grass grows in water, and water flows into the sky.  Slow-moving creeks wander, carrying the orb of the sun with them to the sea, and long-legged birds lift with unexpected grace—as though not built to fly—against the roar of a thousand snow geese.

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Teaser:

They sat on opposite sides of the sheriff’s desk, scanning.  Joe, now and then, swatted at a single housefly. (p. 60).

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Synopsis:  For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life—until the unthinkable happens.

Where the Crawdads Sing is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.

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Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “THE COUPLE AT THE TABLE”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is a new book from an old favorite author:  The Couple at the Table, by Sophie Hannah.

Intro:

(Prologue)

Dear Whoever Killed Jane Brinkwood,

Dear Jane’s Murderer,

Which do you prefer?

This  is a first for me:  writing to someone while not having a clue who they are.  I’ve no idea how to approach doing something so strange, but I’ll have to figure it out as I go along because I need to write this down.

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Teaser:

“Are you going to stop—immediately, right now—drawing these maps and diagrams and driving yourself ever closer to insanity with endless beside-the-point permutations?”

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Synopsis:

Jane and William are enjoying their honeymoon at an exclusive couples-only resort…

…until Jane receives a chilling note warning her to “Beware of the couple at the table nearest to yours.” At dinner that night, five other couples are present, and none of their tables is any nearer or farther away than any of the others. It’s almost as if someone has set the scene in order to make the warning note meaningless—but why would anyone do that?

Jane has no idea.

But someone in this dining room will be dead before breakfast, and all the evidence will suggest that no one there that night could have possibly committed the crime.

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What do you think?  Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “SHE’S GONE”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is one of my new books:  She’s Gone, by David Bell.

Intro:

Video #1

I push the red record button.

I’ve never made a video like this, never tried to talk so openly to strangers.  Icy sweat trickles down my back.  I don’t know what to say or how to begin.

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Teaser:

Gabriela rolls her eyes again.  “Uh, the guy’s two feet taller than you, and he thinks you’re a psychopath.  Everybody does now.”

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Synopsis:

When a girl disappears, who do you suspect?

When 17-year-old Hunter Gifford wakes in the hospital on the night of homecoming, he’s shocked to learn he and his girlfriend, Chloe Summers, have been in a terrible car accident. Hunter has no memory of the crash, and his shock turns to horror when he is told Chloe’s blood has been found in the car—but she has disappeared.

Back at school, his fellow students taunt him, and his former best friend starts making a true-crime documentary about the case—one that points the finger directly at Hunter. And just when things can’t get any worse, Chloe’s mother stands in front of the entire town at a candlelight vigil and accuses Hunter of murder.

Under mounting pressure from the police, Hunter takes matters into his own hands by questioning anyone who might know the truth and posting videos to prove his innocence. When Hunter learns he and Chloe were seen arguing loudly outside the dance, he faces a sickening possibility. Was he angry enough to kill the person he loved?

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What do you think?  Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “THE NURSERY”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is a new book:  The Nursery, by Sue Watson.

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Intro:

I arrived in a blizzard of snow, climbing off the bus in the middle of the night, not knowing which way to go.

The sea roared onto the pavement, making the walk from the bus stop almost impossible, but I had to keep going.

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Teaser:

I didn’t want to cause a scene and embarrass Sofia in front of Zoe, so asked her about the smell after her friend had gone.(p. 57).

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Synopsis:  Then: Morning light shines into the nursery, casting shadows across the pale pink walls and wooden cot in the middle of the room. She opens the door expecting to hear the soft coo of her daughter Sofia stretching herself awake. But the room is silent. The cot is empty. Her little girl has vanished…

Now: Twelve years have passed, but Emily will never forget the night her life changed forever and she’s happy to have her daughter back beside her. A teenager now, Sofia – who was once a star student – is getting into trouble at school and she’s started asking questions about when she was a baby, but Emily can’t tell her what really happened the night she went missing. Nobody would understand why Emily did what she did, and if anyone ever found out, she could lose her daughter forever.

But when Emily catches Sofia messaging a stranger online, her heart pounds in her chest as she reads the last message received.

Your mother isn’t who you think she is.

Days later, Emily returns home to find the house silent. She checks every room but Sofia has vanished, again. She shudders as she remembers that night in the nursery. Has her past finally caught up with her? And is she already too late to save her precious daughter?

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Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “SISTER DEAR”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is one of my print books:  Sister Dear, by Hannah Mary McKinnon.

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Intro:

The police didn’t believe me.

A jury wouldn’t have, either, if I’d gone on trial, and most definitely not the judge. My attorney had more than a few reservations about my story.

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Teaser:

I spent most of Sunday in a contradictory combination of trying to rest my head, pretending to ignore what I’d discovered, overanalyzing everything I’d seen, spending more time researching the Gallingers and trying not to reach for the cookies as my stress levels rose. (p. 81).

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Synopsis:

When Eleanor Hardwicke’s beloved father dies, her world is further shattered by a gut-wrenching secret: the man she’s grieving isn’t really her dad. Eleanor was the product of an affair and her biological father is still out there, living blissfully with the family he chose. With her personal life spiraling, a desperate Eleanor seeks him out, leading her to uncover another branch on her family tree—an infuriatingly enviable half sister.

Perfectly perfect Victoria has everything Eleanor could ever dream of. Loving childhood, luxury home, devoted husband. All of it stolen from Eleanor, who plans to take it back. After all, good sisters are supposed to share. And quiet little Eleanor has been waiting far too long for her turn to play.

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What do you think?  Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “THE NEIGHBOUR UPSTAIRS”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is one of my newest books:  The Neighbour Upstairs, by Kathryn Croft.

Intro:

I have never told you about the day I left Carl.  For eleven years we’d woken up together, made a life for ourselves and raised our daughter, only for it to perish in an instant, as if the foundation of our marriage was built on air.  How foolish I was to believe that was the worst life could throw at me.

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Teaser:

The rough sea breeze swarms around us as we step outside and I mumble something about wishing I had my coat.  Then I make my first mistake of the weekend.

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Synopsis:

The break-up of Olivia’s marriage is hard on all involved, but especially her nine-year-old daughter, Ellie. They attempt to build a new life, and focus on the future. But Olivia is crushingly lonely, so when her new neighbour, Michael, extends the hand of friendship, it’s all she can do to stop herself clutching at it and never letting go.

Olivia has no idea how the course of her life will be altered by that choice.

Before long, Michael and Olivia are a couple. There are some difficulties making it work—after all, both parties have emotional baggage. Doesn’t everyone keep some secrets? If only Ellie could adjust, and Michael’s erratic sister, Chloe, didn’t keep bringing drama to their door.

But Olivia doesn’t listen to the warning signs before it’s far, far too late. By the time she realises something is badly wrong with the man she’s involved with, she cannot escape. The only way out is for the truth to explode like a bomb, shattering their lives, and ensuring no one caught in the middle will ever be the same again…

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Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “NOTHING MORE TO TELL”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is one of my new books:  Nothing More to Tell, by Karen M. McManus.

 

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Intro:

Brynn

“Do you have a favorite crime?”

The girl sitting beside me in the spacious reception area asks the question so brightly, with such a wide smile, that I’m positive I must have misheard her.  “A favorite what?” I ask.

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Teaser:

Then I do a double take as I catch sight of the driver.  They pass in a flash, and I blink at the bumper, confused and disoriented.  No.  It can’t be. The car is a nondescript gray sedan I’ve never seen before, with a New Jersey license plate.

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Synopsis:  Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher—a story that made headlines after the teacher’s body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she’s determined to find out what really happened. 

The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex–best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them. Without his account of events, the other two kids might have gone down for Mr. Larkin’s murder—but instead, thanks to Tripp, they’re now at the top of the Saint Ambrose social pyramid. Tripp’s friends have never forgotten what Tripp did for them that day, and neither has he. Just like he hasn’t forgotten that everything he told the police was a lie.

Digging into the past is bound to shake up the present, and when Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she uncovers secrets that might change everything—about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot.

Four years ago someone got away with murder. More terrifying is that they might be closer than anyone thinks.

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What do you think?  Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “BABYSITTER”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is one of my new books:  Babysitter, by Joyce Carol Oates.

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Intro:

She Asks Herself Why

Because he’d touched her.  Just her wrist.

A brush of his fingers.  A sidelong glance.  Because he’d asked Which one are you?-–meaning Which man’s wife?

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Teaser:

Before going out Hannah will require an hour examining herself in the mirror, in secret.  Trying on clothing—“outfits.”  Tossing aside rejected items, pulling other items off hangers.  Staring at herself as anxiety mounts like a vise tightening around her skull.

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Synopsis:  In the waning days of the turbulent 1970s, in the wake of unsolved child-killings that have shocked Detroit, the lives of several residents are drawn together with tragic consequences.

There is Hannah, wife of a prominent local businessman, who has begun an affair with a darkly charismatic stranger whose identity remains elusive; Mikey, a canny street hustler who finds himself on a chilling mission to rectify injustice; and the serial killer known as Babysitter, an enigmatic and terrifying figure at the periphery of elite Detroit. As Babysitter continues his rampage of abductions and killings, these individuals intersect with one another in startling and unexpected ways.

Suspenseful, brilliantly orchestrated, and engrossing, Babysitter is a starkly narrated exploration of the riskiness of pursuing alternate lives, calling into question how far we are willing to go to protect those whom we cherish most. In its scathing indictment of corrupt politics, unexamined racism, and the enabling of sexual predation in America, Babysitter is a thrilling work of contemporary fiction.

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What do you think?  Would you keep reading?

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TUESDAY EXCERPTS: “REPUTATION”

Welcome to another Tuesday celebrating bookish events: First Chapter/Intros, now hosted by Socrates Book Reviews; and Teaser Tuesdays hosted by The Purple Booker.

Today’s feature is a NetGalley ARC that will be released on July 5, 2022:  Reputation, by Sarah Vaughan.

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Intro:

(Prologue, December 8, 2021)

The body lay at the bottom of the stairs.  An untidy heap in this house that had been gentrified beyond all recognition.  A jumble of clothes just waiting to be tidied away.

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Teaser:

The feeling of being watched continued that evening.  I hadn’t cycled—my bike had a puncture—and both Claire and Julia had evening engagements, so I took a cab and tried to relax in its relative privacy, resisting the cabbie’s eyes in the rear mirror. (31%).

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Synopsis:

The bestselling author of Anatomy of a Scandal—now a hit Netflix series—returns with a new psychological thriller about a politician whose less-than-perfect personal life is thrust into the spotlight when a body is discovered in her home.

As a politician, Emma has sacrificed a great deal for her career—including her marriage and her relationship with her daughter, Flora.

A former teacher, the glare of the spotlight is unnerving for Emma, particularly when it leads to countless insults, threats, and trolling as she tries to work in the public eye. As a woman, she knows her reputation is worth its weight in gold but as a politician, she discovers it only takes one slip-up to destroy it completely.

Fourteen-year-old Flora is learning the same hard lessons at school as she encounters heartless bullying. When another teenager takes her own life, Emma lobbies for a new law to protect women and girls from the effects of online abuse. Now, Emma and Flora find their personal lives uncomfortably intersected…but then the unthinkable happens.

A man is found dead in Emma’s home. A man she had every reason to be afraid of and to want gone. Fighting to protect her reputation, and determined to protect her family at all costs, Emma is pushed to the limits as the worst happens and her life is torn apart.

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Would you keep reading?

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