REVIEW: Deep Into the Dark

 Deep Into the Dark
Author: P.J. Tracy

I love the Monkeewrench series by P.J. Tracy, so just had to read this newest series! This book introduces LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan. Nolan recently lost her brother, who was killed in Afghanistan. So, she sympathizes with suspected murderer Sam Easton who suffers from severe PTSD after serving, and being badly injured, in Afghanistan. It's easy to try and pin murders on Easton -- he has blackouts, hallucinates and wakes almost every night screaming. But Nolan doesn't think Easton is a killer....she's looking deeper into a string of murders. When people close to Easton and a coworker start to turn up dead, the case gets more and more bizarre. 

I loved the twists and turns in this story! Although I had the killer figured out before the ending, I wasn't sure about the whys/hows until the very end. I like the characters and the grittiness of the plot. Nolan  and her fellow detectives have a very difficult job -- but they are up for the task! 

The writing is a bit different in this new series, but I like it! P.J. Tracy originally was the pen name of mother-daughter writing duo of P.J. and Traci Lambrecht. P.J. passed away in 2016, so Traci has carried on. 

I listened to the audio book version of this story. Narrated by Abby Craden, the audio is just short of 9 hours long. Craden does an excellent job of voice acting and brings the story to life! Very enjoyable listen! 

I have a review audio book of the second book in this series, Desolation Canyon. Can't wait to start listening! 

REVIEW: Suicide Forest

 Suicide Forest
Author: Jeremy Bates

I listened to this audio book months ago, but never wrote a review. Maybe it scared me so bad I just couldn't review it? :) That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

The basics:  A group of friends travel to Japan to climb Mt. Fuji. When their climbing plans fall through, they decide to camp out in Aokigahara Forest instead. The infamous Suicide Forest. Legends state that the spirits of those who kill themselves in the forest are still there. Turns out, camping out in the ancient forest is a very, very bad idea! 

I listened to the audio book version of this story. Narrated by Joe Hempel, the audio is just over 10 hours. Hempel does a great job of voice acting. His performance brought this creepy story to life!

Definitely a creepy tale! The forest below Mt. Fuji looks ancient and beautiful in the photos I've seen....but I would never, ever, ever camp out there over night! Nope, nope, nope. Big large nope. 

Another great creepy story from Jeremy Bates! 

REVIEW: Monkeewrench

Monkeewrench
Author: P.J. Tracy

 I first read this book in October of 2018. Then I lost track of the series....coming back to start again, as I still remembered how much I liked this first book. 

Here is my initial  review from 2018:

A new computer game is out for beta testing. Serial Killer Detective is a new venture for Monkeewrench, a Minneapolis software company. The company has produced educational software for years and is attempting to expand into more adult video games. But a copy cat murderer starts killing people and posing the bodies just like the crime scenes depicted in the new game. The killer sends cryptic, threatening messages to the staff at Monkeewrench after each murder. Turns out the software nerds are hiding some pretty gruesome secrets from their past, but they join with police to investigate the case. It's no longer fun and games when someone loses their life for real..... Can they catch the killer before he re-enacts all 20 murders from the video game?

I love this book! The story grabbed my attention from the start, and I ended up binge reading it in one day. I couldn't stop reading! I like Grace McBride and her group of computer nerds. Their friendships are so strong that they are willing to risk their lives for each other. Families don't have to be biologically related! The Monkeewrench staff and police officers have to work together, despite each group distrusting the other. The plot was quite suspenseful, with plenty of interesting twistiness.

The Monkeewrench series has 9 books. The newest one just came out in September. I attempted to read and review it, as I didn't realize it was part of a series when I was offered a galley. This series really is one you have to read from the beginning for character development and past history. I was confused when trying to read The Guilty Dead without any prior knowledge. I am SO glad I backtracked to book 1 and gave this series a chance. I enjoyed this first book so much that I'm having a hard time waiting for book 2 to arrive at my local library....it has to transfer from another nearby library. So hard to wait 4 days to find out what happens to the staff at Monkeewrench next!

Flash forward to 2021 -- there are now 10 books in the series. This time around, I listened to the audio book. The audio is just over 11 hours and narrated by Buck Schirner. Schirner does a fabulous job of voice acting. Sometimes male narrators trying to voice women characters just fall short of the mark...but this narrator did a great job with all the characters, male and female. Nice voice. Good reading pace. Excellent voice acting. Loved it! He really brought the story to life! 

Fabulous story! I loved it just as much the second time! And this time I'm not losing track of this series amid other books on my TBR stack or review list! Gotta listen to them all! 1 down.....9 to go! 

REVIEW: The Scarry Inn

 The Scarry Inn
Author: Shirley McCann

Heidi is travelling with three friends at Christmas to go see her father and her new half-sister. A snow storm and car trouble waylay the group in a small town - Frighton, Az. They end up at a nearby motel called Scarry Inn. Supposedly they are the only guests, but the teens get suspicious. Turns out the Scarry Inn really is a scary place.... 

Nice suspense. A simple, enjoyable plot. This sort of story has been done before many times, but I still enjoy reading scary stories about people stuck in bad situations during snow storms! Very entertaining. I think this story must be YA horror as there wasn't anything too over the top...and no sex, no cussing, no flying guts or anything too much. 

I read this entire book while getting a pedicure at the local salon. Perfect length for easy reading. Good story, and some good scares. I will definitely read more by this author. 

This book is included in Kindle Unlimited, for those who subscribe.