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STORMY by Wren Wilds

3* Lots of picking up and putting this down, as it's slow and the pacing is off. I nearly DNF'd 3 or 4 times before 40% gone. It only gets interesting around 70% in. Stormy needed counselling, not just somewhere to rest, heal, eat and call home. That not a single person, including a professional who deals in abused persons suggested any, was surreal.  There's a lot introspection from Stormy/Matthew, which feels realistic. But, Tex is so talkative, he's gotta be on the spectrum, yet no one clocks? Talking so much, bartender or not, isn't normal. But it seems like the author ignored obvious stuff for the sake of her tale. It did have heart and it had characters who had each other's backs, but far too much of it was spent on Tex's verbal diarrhoea. The biker community was great, though. Glad it was a KU title. 
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FACULTY OF LIARS by R L Heber

3* Seems like everyone's a liar and sells their soul in this university town. Some are killers, and others cover killing up. Is academia really this bloodthirsty?  There are no likeable characters in this book, including the narrator. Everyone seems to have opinions about the narrator, and the narrative of how and why things are done, with far more people involved in the (should be, but isn't emotive enough) event that starts the tale off.  Sadly, it ended up being a waste of my time, reading a book with an unsatisfying ending. ARC courtesy of NetGalley and One World Publications, for my reading pleasure. 
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THE SECRETS WE HIDE by Karin Slaughter

4* Decent but ugh, it's heavy on family recriminations, secrets, regrets, alcoholism, and connections.  This is a good police procedural with several characters who could've been the killer, and several who get their comeuppance. It's book 2 in a series and maybe book 3 will follow up with the person who really needs to pay for his crimes, but they sound as if they can be read as standalones, too. The killer ended up being a victim themselves, but will they be able to live with themselves? The policing was smart and forensics had nothing on Emmy. She maybe in part figured things out because of her relationship with the deceased, but she also had help from 'big sister', Martha/Jude. And friends and family. There'll be more reveals, and healing, in book 3, whether she's still sheriff or not. ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction for my reading pleasure. 
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A CASE OF KIDNAP by P F Ford

3* Better editing than in this author's Joffe books, but it's not a great storyline and the 'lets sort of go there' conversations didn't feel organic. D E Beckler does a far better UK-based PI series. I only read this as it's in KU that I got for free. There's very little happening in it, despite the dodgy DCI aspect, the people trafficking aspect, the romance-that-isn't aspect, the dodgy cop aspect and the would-be-lover cop aspect. 
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THE DYING LIGHT by Anne McCleeve

4* Flows gently like a stream, with no danger, no one who seems like a murderer, no rushing, and it ends in sadness.  I'm not familiar with the author or her team of detectives who slowly but surely get the job done. No one seems very dynamic, no one seems like they have anything to prove, but they get the job done. Or, at least the main guy does, but he's not memorable enough for me to remember his name a few hours after finishing the book.  It is a bit of a sad tale with spoilt female deceased, one worse than the other. Lives are cut short and lives are broken by the actions of a really bitchy one, who felt all too real in 2026. ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for my reading pleasure.
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THE STEPMOTHER by Sheila Bugler

4* Very well done, and the author kept the ending real, if sad.  This tale starts with an abused woman and ends with a woman who's living life on her terms, her way. She's stronger for having the lies she lived with, and her past, brought into the open. Most characters end up happy, and I was pleased that an unforgivable betrayal remained unforgiven. The storyline is told in the blurb, but add in danger, bad guys, abuse, betrayal and things working out because of the courage of a man who'd lost almost everything, but wasn't prepared to lose what he had left. ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, for my reading pleasure. 
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THE SKETCH ARTIST by Amanda McKinney

3* Good stortline but efforts at a romance were a waste - absolutely no chemistry between the leads, on top of very, very little time together.  This is a doesn't-feel-dangerous tale that has all the elements to make it a feels-dangerous tale, but they're not there in the right proportions: the graffiti doesn't feel sinister; not enough is made of the ex; the 'protector' lead doesn't get to protect hardly at all; the camping, right on the anniversary of the sad event the town is famous for, feels TSTL, not dangerous or suspenseful. One catty character is there for about 1/4 page, never to be seen again. The townspeople who maligned and threatened Harper were silent when the truth was outed.  Sigh. A good editor could've amped up everything by asking the author for - more. Not a waste of time, but ultimately, unsatisfying. ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my reading pleasure.
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