I Know a Secret by Tess Gerritsen

Welcome to a TBT Throwback Thursday Review.  I am working on reviving this blog and catching up on some long overdue book reviews.

I Know a Secret by Tess Gerritsen is the 12th installment in the Rizzoli & Isles series. It was originally published in August 2017.

Two separate homicides, at different locations, with unrelated victims, have more in common than just being investigated by Boston PD detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Maura Isles. In both cases, the bodies bear startling wounds—yet the actual cause of death is unknown. It’s a doubly challenging case for the cop and the coroner to be taking on, at a fraught time for both of them. As Jane struggles to save her mother from the crumbling marriage that threatens to bury her, Maura grapples with the imminent death of her own mother—infamous serial killer Amalthea Lank.

While Jane tends to her mother, there’s nothing Maura can do for Amalthea, except endure one final battle of wills with the woman whose shadow has haunted her all her life. Though succumbing to cancer, Amalthea hasn’t lost her taste for manipulating her estranged daughter—this time by dangling a cryptic clue about the two bizarre murders Maura and Jane are desperately trying to solve.

But whatever the dying convict knows is only a piece of the puzzle. Soon the investigation leads to a secretive young woman who survived a shocking abuse scandal, an independent horror film that may be rooted in reality, and a slew of martyred saints who died cruel and unusual deaths. And just when Rizzoli and Isles think they’ve cornered a devilish predator, the long-buried past rears its head—and threatens to engulf more innocent lives, including their own. -barnesandnoble.com

This is my favorite (so-far) of all the Rizzoli & Isles novels. It’s revealed early on that the first murder victim, Cassandra was working on a horror movie at the time of her death. I loved the backdrop of horror filmmaking. There is also an intriguing religious angle at play. To say more would spoil the mystery. There are a lot of twists and turns in this caper.

Gerritsen is not one to shy from grizzly descriptions of the crime scenes so if you’re more of a cozy mystery fan, this may not be the book/series for you. However it’s not all procedural. There is also a lot of drama here with Rizzoli, Isles and their respective personal lives. Isles’ romantic entanglements always have me shaking my head. If you’re a Rizzoli & Isles fan and haven’t picked this one up yet, definitely do! Newcomers to the series and thriller fans can be assured that this installment could be read alone but the series is strongest when read consecutively.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Special Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine books for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Welcome to a TBT Throwback Thursday Review.  I am working on reviving this blog and catching up on some long overdue book reviews.

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s career is currently on fire with her latest and awesome best selling novel, Daisy Jones and the Six. Ones True Loves was published in June of 2016.

In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.
On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.
Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.
That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.
Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?
Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying. -taylorjenkinsreid.com

Taylor made the soap opera cliche of a lover returning from the dead into a realistic heartbreaking read. (Dallas’ Bobby Ewing, I’m looking at you.) You really feel for Emma as her life seemingly falls apart again just when it came back together. Despite his ordeal, I found Jesse to be a tad selfish for thinking he’d just swoop in and resume life as normal. At its core though, One True Loves is a thoughtfully sweet tale about growing up, changing your mind and discovering who you want to be and whether a former version of yourself is your true self.  I also especially loved Emma’s family and their family run bookstore. It evoked string memories of all the years I worked at Waldenbooks/Borders.

Definitely look for One True Loves at your local bookseller.

🌟🌟🌟🌟/5

Special Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Exposed & Feared by Lisa Scottoline

Welcome to a TBT Throwback Thursday Review.  I am working on reviving this blog and catching up on some long overdue book reviews. Exposed and Feared by Lisa Scottoline are the most recent titles in her Rosato & DiNunzio series and were published in August 2017 and August 2018 respectively.

A BATTLE FOR JUSTICE PITS PARTNER AGAINST PARTNER…
Mary DiNunzio wants to represent her old friend Simon Pensiera, a sales rep who was wrongly fired by his company, but her partner Bennie Rosato represents the parent company. When she confronts Mary, explaining this is a conflict of interest, an epic battle of wills and legal strategy between the two ensues ripping the law firm apart, forcing everyone to take sides and turning friend against friend.
LOYALTY CAN BE LETHAL.  - lisascottoline.com

When three men announce that they are suing the Rosato & DiNunzio law firm for reverse sex discrimination—claiming that they were not hired because they were men—Mary DiNunzio and Bennie Rosato are outraged. To make matters worse, their one male employee, John Foxman, intends to resign, claiming that there is some truth to this case.
The plaintiffs’ lawyer is Nick Machiavelli, who has already lost to Mary once and is now back with a vengeance —determined not to not only win, but destroy the firm. It soon becomes clear that Machiavelli will do anything in his power to achieve this…even after the case turns deadly. The stakes have never been higher for Mary and her associates as they try to keep Machiavelli at bay, solve a murder, and save the law firm they love…or they could lose everything they’ve worked for. Told with Scottoline’s trademark gift for twists, turns, heart, and humanity, this latest thriller asks the question: is it better to be loved, or feared…​ - lisascottoline.com

I love all the Rosato & DiNunzio novels and the prior related series Rosato & Associates.  Exposed and Feared were no exception.  Although Feared was my favorite of the two and one of my favorite of the stories about the "all female law firm" precisely for the fact that the book centered on the possible discrimination issues arising from that very conceit.

Exposed was great in that it really showed some character growth for Mary who has always struggled with asserting herself outside the courtroom and this is further built upon in Feared.  Scottoline always does a fantastic job of balancing the personal dramas of the characters we loved throughout the series as well as providing a thought provoking legal dilemma.

While this series does not need to be read in order, I highly recommend it so that you can develop a relationship with Mary, Bennie and everyone working at the Rosato & DiNunzio firm.  I don't know if a follow-up to Feared is planned but it's still my hope that we get a new book soon featuring attorney Anne Murphy who hasn't carried a book on her own since Courting Trouble.

Final Verdict:  3.5/5 Stars for Exposed;  4/5 Stars for Feared

Special Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC in exchange for a honest review.