Burning Bright

Burning Bright by Nicholas Petrie
Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons on January 10th 2017
Series: Peter Ash #2
Pages: 432
Format: arc_pdf
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense
See it @ Goodreads

Synopsis

"Lots of characters get compared to my own Jack Reacher, but Petrie s Peter Ash is the real deal."--Lee Child In the new novel featuring war veteran Peter Ash, an action hero of the likes of Jack Reacher or Jason Bourne (Lincoln Journal-Star), Ash has a woman s life in his hands and her mystery is stranger than he could ever imagine. War veteran Peter Ash sought peace and quiet among the towering redwoods of northern California, but the trip isn t quite the balm he d hoped for. The dense forest and close fog cause his claustrophobia to buzz and spark, and then he stumbles upon a grizzly, long thought to have vanished from this part of the country. In a fight of man against bear, Peter doesn t favor his odds, so he makes a strategic retreat up a nearby sapling. There, he finds something strange: a climbing rope, affixed to a distant branch above. It leads to another, and another, up through the giant tree canopy, and ending at a hanging platform. On the platform is a woman on the run. From below them come the sounds of men and gunshots. Just days ago, investigative journalist June Cassidy escaped a kidnapping by the men who are still on her trail. She suspects they re after something belonging to her mother, a prominent software designer who recently died in an accident. June needs time to figure out what s going on, and help from someone with Peter s particular set of skills. Only one step ahead of their pursuers, Peter and June must race to unravel this peculiar mystery. What they find leads them to an eccentric recluse, a shadowy pseudo-military organization, and an extraordinary tool that may change the modern world forever."

This is the second book in the Peter Ash series, it was a great read. Well plotted story, good character development, moves along at a good pace.

June’s mother, a brilliant programmer was a victim of a hit and run accident, now someone
Is trying to kidnap June in effort to get access to June’s mother’s program. Peter Ash a veteran with PTDS meets up with June, together they try to figure out who wanted June’s mother dead to get her last program.

Peter and June with a full cast of characters pursue and are pursued making for an action packed read. I received this book from Penguins First to Read, for an honest review.

The River at Night

The River at Night by Erica Ferencik
Published by Gallery/Scout Press on January 10th 2017
Pages: 304
Format: arc_pdf
See it @ Goodreads

Synopsis

A high stakes drama set against the harsh beauty of the Maine wilderness, charting the journey of four friends as they fight to survive the aftermath of a white water rafting accident, The River at Night is a nonstop and unforgettable thriller by a stunning new voice in fiction.
Winifred Allen needs a vacation.
Stifled by a soul-crushing job, devastated by the death of her beloved brother, and lonely after the end of a fifteen-year marriage, Wini is feeling vulnerable. So when her three best friends insist on a high-octane getaway for their annual girls’ trip, she signs on, despite her misgivings.
What starts out as an invigorating hiking and rafting excursion in the remote Allagash Wilderness soon becomes an all-too-real nightmare: A freak accident leaves the women stranded, separating them from their raft and everything they need to survive. When night descends, a fire on the mountainside lures them to a ramshackle camp that appears to be their lifeline. But as Wini and her friends grasp the true intent of their supposed saviors, long buried secrets emerge and lifelong allegiances are put to the test. To survive, Wini must reach beyond the world she knows to harness an inner strength she never knew she possessed.
With intimately observed characters, visceral prose, and pacing as ruthless as the river itself, The River at Night is a dark exploration of creatures—both friend and foe—that you won’t soon forget.

The River at Night is about 4 women who decide to spend a weekend white water rafting in the backwoods of Maine. The woman lose their guide and spend the next three days trying to get back down the river to civilization. Along the way there are people who are trying to stop them.

The story is billed as psychological thriller but it is more just a suspense/mystery. It is well plotted and the characters are interesting enough. It is a very readable story and I enjoyed it. Anyone who loves a mystery would enjoy this book.

Thanks to Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Marrow Island

Marrow Island by Alexis M. Smith
Published by Houghton Mifflin on June 7th 2016
Pages: 256
See it @ Goodreads

Synopsis

A new novel from a former bookseller, author of the acclaimedGlaciers," tracks a young woman s return home to investigate a secretive community that has mysteriously rescued an island devastated by natural and chemical disaster and taken hold of one of her oldest friends. Twenty years ago Lucie Bowen left Marrow Island; along with her mother, she fled the aftermath of an earthquake that compromised the local refinery, killing her father and ravaging the island s environment. Now, Lucie s childhood friend Kate is living within a mysterious group called Marrow Colony a community that claims to be ministering to the Earth. There have been remarkable changes to the land at the colony s homestead. Lucie s experience as a journalist tells her there s more to Marrow Colony and their charismatic leader than they want her to know, and that the astonishing success of their environmental remediation has come at great cost to the colonists themselves. As she uncovers their secrets and methods, will Lucie endanger more than their mission? What price will she pay for the truth?In the company of "Station Eleven" and "California, Marrow Island "uses two tense natural disasters to ask tough questions about our choices large and small. A second novel from a bookseller whose sleeper-hit debut was praised by Karen Russell as haunted, joyful, beautiful, it promises to capture and captivate new readers even as it thrills Smith's many existing fans."

Marrow Island is it a mini utopia or is it a dystopia? Ecologically devastated by an earthquake that destroyed an oil refinery years ago; the island is now an ecological commune, run by Sister J. Lucie’s father, who died on the island as a result of the earthquake, has returned to the island some twenty years later to visit a childhood friend. Something strange is going on.

Dark and brooding, Marrow Island, a carefully crafted work that left me wanting. I could not engage with the characters.

About Alexis M. Smith

Alexis M. Smith was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. Her debut novel, GLACIERS, has been translated into Spanish and Italian. It was a finalist for the Ken Kesey Award for Fiction and a World Book Night 2013 selection. MARROW ISLAND is the winner of a Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award and a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award.

Alexis attended Mount Holyoke College, Portland State University, and holds an MFA from Goddard College. In 2015 she received a grant from Regional Arts & Culture Council and a fellowship from the Oregon Arts Commission. She has written for Tarpaulin Sky, The Portland Monthly, Bon Appétit, The Portland Review, and in Lilac City Fairy Tales Vol. III. She lives with her wife and son in Portland, Oregon.

Website

The Scholl Case: The Deadly End of a Marriage

The Scholl Case: The Deadly End of a Marriage by Anja Reich-Osang, Imogen Taylor
Published by Text Publishing Company on October 3rd 2016
Pages: 213
See it @ Goodreads

Synopsis

'A gripping book about a mysterious murder that delves deeply into the psyches of its protagonists. Anja Reich-Osang’s clear language cuts like a knife, exposing the layers of two lives and one unhappy marriage. A great read!’—Melanie Raabe, author of THE TRAP
In December 2011, a corpse was found in a forest in Ludwigsfelde, a small and peaceful town south of Berlin. The body was hidden between pine trees, covered with leaves. The victim was Brigitte Scholl, sixty-seven, cosmetician and wife of Ludwigsfelde’s former mayor Heinrich Scholl. There were rumours that Brigitte was raped and killed by a serial killer. While the police hunted for the murderer, parents kept their children indoors, and joggers avoided the forest. Three weeks later, the police arrested the victim’s husband.
The residents were shocked. Heinrich Scholl was well-respected in his community, regarded as the most successful mayor of East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. This charming man had it all: a successful career, influential friends and a marriage of almost fifty years. But behind closed doors, it was a very different story. Friends and family were staggered at the picture that emerged during the trial.
In 2012, Heinrich Scholl was pronounced guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. To this day, he pleads not guilty. Journalist and author Anja Reich-Osang followed the trial and talked to family, friends and Heinrich Scholl himself. She tells a gripping story about marriage, sex and politics, where nothing is as it seems.
Anja Reich-Osang is a German journalist. She received the German Reporter Award in 2012 and is currently senior editor at Berliner Zeitung.

A rather dry, but very readable account of a marriage gone bad. Heinrich and Brigitte married for convenience, it came to a bloody end in December, 2011 after 50 years of marriage. Heinrich, a successful retired Mayor of a small East German city murdered his wife and her dog.

What makes the book interesting is that this marriage began at the same time the Berlin Wall fell, Heinrich took a small East German village and made it a show place. The author gives us an idea of how life was in Germany around that time, but as to really delving into the true character of the Scholl’s the story is a bit weak.

Interview with the author Anja Reich-Osang