Best Suspense
Twenty years before, amid strange staff disappearances and allegations of fraud, panicked investors sold Cleveland’s largest bank in the middle of the night, locking out customers and employees, and thwarting a looming federal investigation. Iris, a young engineer working her first job out of the office, finds herself assigned to map out a floor plan for the bank building which has been empty for two decades. Just as Beatrice did 20 years before her, Iris quickly recognizes that there’s something not quite right at the bank and she soon learns that the building is not as empty as everyone thinks.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When I was a regular shopper at my local bookstores, my initial selection was based off thickness (how I discovered Robert Jordon and Terry Goodkind and others of that epic length writing). THE DEAD KEY, however, is largely one single, long wind-up, the pacing not really picking up till well past the last quarter. moments rolling, the suspense tight with wonderment and discovery, simply an exquisite plotline that has made the game a cult classic. And the ending... well, a completion within the same emotional level as Arturo Pérez-Reverte's 1993 novel, THE CLUB DUMAS had concluded with (the novel may be recognized by more as the later movie, THE NINTH GATE). All in all, enjoyable, yet I do have to wonder how even more fantastic these elements would be if the book was the same 477 pages but made tauter in pacing, richer in action, and, yes, even more deeply layered."
"I left off one star because the main characters are too much alike, in fact all the women especially but the men as well seemed like slight variations of the same personality."
"Several low-level female employees at the bank discover that something is awry (in both time periods), and their attempts to solve the mystery puts them in serious danger."
"The story concept is interesting: an important bank mysteriously closes overnight. When I was about 1/3 into the story it seemed that n.o.t.h.i.n.g. Reading the early reviews, I was sure I was reading a different book. For example, in most instances, we don't read about the secretary's workday, we read about her thinking about her workday or thinking about the personalities of the people she works with, or wondering where her friend is, or wondering about the significance of papers she sees. For example, the engineer meets her boss at the building and explains to him some of the work she has done, but (from the reader perspective) this is merely retelling what the engineer already mused about in the previous pages: she went to the eighth floor, to the room on the left; it was dusty; she made some measurements; she went to the next room; she saw papers on the floor; she wondered why the papers were left behind; she made some measurements; she looked at some of the papers; she wondered what the papers meant; she decided to take some of the papers with her to look at later; she went to the next room; she made some measurements. I second that thought."
It’s the phone call every parent dreads: in the middle of the night, Sandy Cline learns that her twenty-year-old son, Jordan, has been in a car accident. The car was smashed against a tree along a remote and winding road, beautiful but deadly, in their rural Texas Hill Country town. “In Faultlines , Barbara Taylor Sissel brilliantly weaves a compelling, suspenseful, and emotional family drama...Through a multitude of twists and turns, each character is faced with difficult decisions that fracture family bonds while wondering who they can trust, let alone whether or not they can recover from the tragedy. After tragedy and accusations of blame rip a family apart, Barbara Sissel masterfully unravels the shocking truth.” —Barbara Claypole White, bestselling author of The Perfect Son. My favorite of Sissel’s many fine books, Faultlines kept me reading long past midnight...and the powerful, yet hopeful, resolution will stay with me for a long time.” —Colleen Thompson, author of The Off Season and Fatal Error. Barbara Taylor Sissel writes issue-driven women’s fiction that is threaded with elements of suspense and defined by its particular emphasis on how crime affects families.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Very nicely written book about a profound subject."
"This story is fresh and a real page turner."
"Very good and easy read."
"I thought this was a very good book, it is well written and had enough twists and turns to keep my interest."
"I throughly enjoyed the book."
"A hard subject to handle - the life-shattering consequences of teenagers driving drunk."
Though she’s at first skeptical of Evan’s accounts, it quickly becomes clear that his mysterious ailment may be the key to finding her child. Michael C. Grumley lives with his wife and two young daughters in Northern California, where he works in information technology.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Evan is involved in an accident which results in a serious head injury."
"I read another reviewer who was unsure as to how to characterize this book, I personally don't think this story falls into only one genre at all. Shortly before Evan Nash's 18th birthday his life changed forever when he was riding his bike and hit a car. Shortly after this accident he started having strange problems and he sought help from a psychiatrist. Evan, because of the symptoms he is showing from the accident, is in a life and death struggle."
"The character of Evan hit home with the need for understanding what it is to be a teenager in a world where difference can be determined straight from the voice."
"Loved this book."
"When I spoke with a friend about the book I was reading, she asked me what it was about, and I had a hard time explaining an actual plot line. Part of it is that in order to pique interest and keep the appropriate mysteries a secret, the description of the plot is fairly vague. His psychology behind his characters is fun, and the plot line (once you find it!)."
"Would love to actually meet someone who sees on the other side!"
"I have been working my way through all the books I can find by Michael Grumley after devouring both Breakthrough and Leap, and I just finished Through the Fog. This is a psychological thriller that captured me from the first page, and, even though it does not have the huge amount of physical action of Breakthrough and Leap, it more than makes up for it with tense excitement that builds quickly and steadily until the terrific ending."
Best Crime Fiction
Surrounded by quirky, fascinating characters as dedicated to one another as they are to their new partner, Harmony must learn to trust her team—and a new romantic interest—on a dangerous and deadly mission that conjures up memories she’d much rather forget. Craig Schaefer’s books have taken readers to the seamy edge of a criminal underworld drenched in shadow through the Daniel Faust series; to a world torn by war, poison, and witchcraft by way of the Revanche Cycle series; and across a modern America mired in occult mysteries and a conspiracy of lies in the new Harmony Black series.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"“Harmony Black” is set in the same universe as the Faust series and there are major spoilers for that series in the first chapter. So I’ll start by saying if you want to read or haven’t finished the Faust series, do that before reading this. I think that he was quite successful- I liked her a lot even though she clearly harbors some misconceptions about Faust :) I’ll probably still read the rest of the Faust books- I think that one of the “spoilers’ is misleading- but I definitely look forward to reading more about Harmony. But although Harmony can definitely be read as a standalone- and a separate series- I still wish that I had read all of the Faust series first."
"I had never heard of Craig Schaefer before, but now I will be seeking out more of his books. Before today, there were only two books I ever found so captivating that I read them straight through, cover-to-cover, in one go."
"The novel is written like a normal crime story, except the bad guys are demons and the agent is a witch. In a nutshell, about every 30 years 6 children disappear from their cribs in a small town called Talbot Cove, Michigan. The team who is assigned to hunting down "Hostile Enemy 17" include Harmony, the witch; Jessie, a half-breed, female "Big Bad Wolf';" April, an older lady in a wheel chair; and Keith, a computer hacker. Sounds crazy, but this combination works to make this a great story about chasing down Hostile Enemy 17, aka the "Boogey Man.""
"And although there are occult elements in this novel, don't let that put you off if you happen to dislike such reads; the supernatural portions are so successfully integrated into the storyline that after you've finished reading, all you will be aware of is a darned good crime novel with a dedicated, yet whacky cast of characters. Normally I would add more insights and impressions about such a fine book, but I'm afraid I'm practically jumping out of my skin to read more by this author, having already downloaded another of his books!!"
Best Mystery
Twenty years before, amid strange staff disappearances and allegations of fraud, panicked investors sold Cleveland’s largest bank in the middle of the night, locking out customers and employees, and thwarting a looming federal investigation. Iris, a young engineer working her first job out of the office, finds herself assigned to map out a floor plan for the bank building which has been empty for two decades. Just as Beatrice did 20 years before her, Iris quickly recognizes that there’s something not quite right at the bank and she soon learns that the building is not as empty as everyone thinks.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When I was a regular shopper at my local bookstores, my initial selection was based off thickness (how I discovered Robert Jordon and Terry Goodkind and others of that epic length writing). THE DEAD KEY, however, is largely one single, long wind-up, the pacing not really picking up till well past the last quarter. moments rolling, the suspense tight with wonderment and discovery, simply an exquisite plotline that has made the game a cult classic. And the ending... well, a completion within the same emotional level as Arturo Pérez-Reverte's 1993 novel, THE CLUB DUMAS had concluded with (the novel may be recognized by more as the later movie, THE NINTH GATE). All in all, enjoyable, yet I do have to wonder how even more fantastic these elements would be if the book was the same 477 pages but made tauter in pacing, richer in action, and, yes, even more deeply layered."
"I left off one star because the main characters are too much alike, in fact all the women especially but the men as well seemed like slight variations of the same personality."
"Several low-level female employees at the bank discover that something is awry (in both time periods), and their attempts to solve the mystery puts them in serious danger."
"The story concept is interesting: an important bank mysteriously closes overnight. When I was about 1/3 into the story it seemed that n.o.t.h.i.n.g. Reading the early reviews, I was sure I was reading a different book. For example, in most instances, we don't read about the secretary's workday, we read about her thinking about her workday or thinking about the personalities of the people she works with, or wondering where her friend is, or wondering about the significance of papers she sees. For example, the engineer meets her boss at the building and explains to him some of the work she has done, but (from the reader perspective) this is merely retelling what the engineer already mused about in the previous pages: she went to the eighth floor, to the room on the left; it was dusty; she made some measurements; she went to the next room; she saw papers on the floor; she wondered why the papers were left behind; she made some measurements; she looked at some of the papers; she wondered what the papers meant; she decided to take some of the papers with her to look at later; she went to the next room; she made some measurements. I second that thought."
Best Thrillers
Twenty years before, amid strange staff disappearances and allegations of fraud, panicked investors sold Cleveland’s largest bank in the middle of the night, locking out customers and employees, and thwarting a looming federal investigation. Iris, a young engineer working her first job out of the office, finds herself assigned to map out a floor plan for the bank building which has been empty for two decades. Just as Beatrice did 20 years before her, Iris quickly recognizes that there’s something not quite right at the bank and she soon learns that the building is not as empty as everyone thinks.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"When I was a regular shopper at my local bookstores, my initial selection was based off thickness (how I discovered Robert Jordon and Terry Goodkind and others of that epic length writing). THE DEAD KEY, however, is largely one single, long wind-up, the pacing not really picking up till well past the last quarter. moments rolling, the suspense tight with wonderment and discovery, simply an exquisite plotline that has made the game a cult classic. And the ending... well, a completion within the same emotional level as Arturo Pérez-Reverte's 1993 novel, THE CLUB DUMAS had concluded with (the novel may be recognized by more as the later movie, THE NINTH GATE). All in all, enjoyable, yet I do have to wonder how even more fantastic these elements would be if the book was the same 477 pages but made tauter in pacing, richer in action, and, yes, even more deeply layered."
"All-in-all, I found it a worthwhile read although I do wish the end of the book would have provided a bit more insight into how the characters from the earlier period fared."
"It was a complicated story line but worth reading as I did want to find out the mystery behind the key and what happened to the two main characters."
"Her use of two major characters in different times yet in the same location brings new meaning to "Hot in Cleveland"."
"The story concept is interesting: an important bank mysteriously closes overnight. When I was about 1/3 into the story it seemed that n.o.t.h.i.n.g. Reading the early reviews, I was sure I was reading a different book. For example, in most instances, we don't read about the secretary's workday, we read about her thinking about her workday or thinking about the personalities of the people she works with, or wondering where her friend is, or wondering about the significance of papers she sees. For example, the engineer meets her boss at the building and explains to him some of the work she has done, but (from the reader perspective) this is merely retelling what the engineer already mused about in the previous pages: she went to the eighth floor, to the room on the left; it was dusty; she made some measurements; she went to the next room; she saw papers on the floor; she wondered why the papers were left behind; she made some measurements; she looked at some of the papers; she wondered what the papers meant; she decided to take some of the papers with her to look at later; she went to the next room; she made some measurements. I second that thought."