Book Review Tuesday: The Accident, Wall of Silence, Bad Habits @TracyBuchanan @judypost

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Warm and cozy window seat with cushions and a opened book, light through vintage shutters, rustic style home decor. Small cat on window seat, along with coffee cup by pillow, Words Book Review Tuesday superimposed over image

Happy Tuesday, friends!I have a new roundup of books for you. I’m still sharing reviews of books I read during April quarantine, along with a newer title. Lately, I’ve been immersed in a single series (Harry Dresden), but we’ll chat about that in the weeks to come. 🙂

In the meantime, I hope one of these fabulous novels tickles your reading fancy.

Book cover for The Accident by Natalie Barelli shows woman from back walking up stepsThe Accident
by Natalie Barelli

I believe I’ve found a new auto-buy author, if the rest of Natalie Barelli’s work is anything like The Accident. Katherine is a shining star on a fast-track career, plus a single mom with a teenage daughter. She becomes friends with Eve, who worms her way into Katherine’s life and her place of employment. When the two have a girls’ night out, Katherine wants to call an Uber, knowing she’s had too much to drink. Eve talks her into driving, pointing out the roads will be deserted. Halfway home, Katherine strikes a pedestrian on a lonely road. Eve convinces her they need to get back in the car and take off. It’s a decision that will become a nightmare for Katherine as her life spirals out of control. But as each day passes and she wrestles with what happened, she realizes Eve is not at all the person she originally thought.

The book gets very twisty very quickly. I blew through it in two sittings, glued to the pages. It’s fast-paced, does require a stretch of credibility in a few places, but is pure popcorn enjoyment. Part soap-opera, part Lifetime movie, it sucks you in quickly and doesn’t let go until the thoroughly satisfying ending. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, this is an excellent read. I’m already scouting out more books by this author.

5 Stars
Amazon Link
Genre: Psychological Fiction > Women’s Psychological Fiction

Book cover for Wall of Silence by Tracy Buchanan shows closeup of trees in forest with title laid overtop imageWall of Silence
by Tracy Buchanan

Wall of Silence presents an interesting mystery and an interesting concept. Melissa Byatt has an ideal life with three wonderful children and a popular husband who is running for a local office. She lives in an upscale “forest” community, with neighbors who look out for one another. Her childhood was less than ideal, but she’s risen above it and has so much for which she’s grateful.

One day she comes home from a bike ride to find her husband stabbed, her three children clustered around him with the knife. It quickly becomes apparent one of them is responsible, but which one and why? When the police arrive, Melissa decides to protect her children at all cost. With her husband, Patrick, in a coma waffling between life and death, Melissa must unravel what happened to so drastically alter her perfect family.

As the book progresses, the reader gains insight not only to the Melissa’s children, her in-laws, and her childhood, but also the neighbors in the community of Forest Grove. A neighborhood Facebook group is used for back and forth chit-chat (and gossip) to advance the story, which I thought was a brilliant and intriguing move by the author. Slowly, old secrets, suspicions and grudges come to light, and many are not who they seem at first glance.

There were times I was thoroughly aggravated by Melissa’s behavior, and the behavior of her children, much of which contributed to the slow build of the story. This is not a book that moves at a fast clip but a mystery that falls into place bits and pieces at a time. The tension is constant and there is always some new nugget of information to keep the reader flipping pages. I found this an intriguing mystery and would definitely read more by this author in the future.

5 Stars
Amazon Link
Genre: British and Irish Literary Fiction > Psychological Fiction

Book cover for Bad Habits by Judi Lynn shows shows bloody revolver in background, cute redhead in foreground on a laptop, yellow Bentley behind herBad Habits
by Judi Lynn

There is a lot of heart in this story. To be sure, there is mystery too—murder, drugs, a crime to solve—but the characters themselves bring an entirely different dimension. Lux hasn’t had a great upbringing or childhood, but she’s independently wealthy. She finds the loving environment she lacked with her own parents with her best friend Gabbie’s family, including Gabbie’s brothers. She’s especially drawn to Keon, a chef, and soon realizes what she feels surpasses simple fondness.

As Keon and Lux grow closer, they find themselves caught up in a web of trouble revolving around Keon’s brother, Tyson. The cast of characters is large, but there are many standouts, including Pete, a cop who’s attracted to Gabbie. I also liked Ian, who found himself in difficult situations even as he tried to do the right thing, and his sister, Shelly—a fifteen-year-old learning the value of self-worth over game-playing and manipulation.

The mystery ties together neatly at the end, but it is the warmth among the characters that brought me a special smile when I finished the story. I also have to mention that I really loved the addition of Lux’s yellow Bentley as a cute aside. Although this story is complete, the book has all the earmarks of an engaging series. A pleasure to read.

5 Stars
Amazon Link
Genre: Amateur Sleuths > Women Sleuths

Although I did a minimal amount of writing during shelter-in-place months, books were my friend. I still have a few more to share before I catch up to the present. You just can’t go wrong with books. Here’s hoping you’ve had a few entraining tales to distract yourself as well! 🙂

62 thoughts on “Book Review Tuesday: The Accident, Wall of Silence, Bad Habits @TracyBuchanan @judypost”

    • Isn’t that a great cover for Bad Habits? It definitely draws the eye. 🙂

      I’ve been so fortunate with 5-star reads lately. There was only one book during my shelter-in-place reading that I thought didn’t deliver. And now I’m on Harry Dresden which is all 5 stars, LOL!

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    • Oooh, Lauralynn, I think you’re really going to enjoy The Accident. And it reads so fast. I’m definitely a new fan of the author.

      And Judi Lynn always delivers a great story. Her newest is no different. Happy reading! It’s great to see you. Hope all is well 🙂

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      • Wasn’t it awesome? I am thoroughly hooked on her work. I took a detour with the Harry Dresden urban fantasy series, but I am so looking forward to reading more of her books. I can’t wait to purchase more. I’m so glad you enjoyed The Accident. I thought it was exceptional!

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    • Bad Habits was another entertaining read, Judi, but then everything you write is always a pleasure to read.

      As for Harry Dresden, I can’t recommend the books highly enough—especially if you enjoy urban fantasy, Butcher wrote the first one at 21 for a college writing course, and each one just gets better and better as his writing matured. I’m seriously smitten/hooked/engrossed/besotted! 😀

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  9. “The Accident” really drew my attention, as I actually knew someone a similar scenario happened to. It totally destroyed her life. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on these books, Mae!!

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    • The dilemma faced by the mother (and the children) in Wall of Silence was well presented, Robbie. The story raised a lot of questions and made me think what I would do in a similar situation. An excellent read.

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  12. Great reviews of all three books, Mae. The Accident reminds me of a friend’s case involved in a motorcycle rider she killed not to her fault. Wall of Silence, OMG, what a tragic story. Now I want to find out if her husband would come around from his coma. Bad Habits seems to have a satisfying ending. Thank you for sharing, Mae. Have a great week!

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    • Hi, Miriam. That is so sad and scary about your friend. I think that’s what makes The Accident so engrossing and disturbing at the same time–it’s easy to imagine it happening.
      Wall of Silence was also disturbing and engrossing, and Bad Habits was a wonderful read. I enjoyed all three immensely.

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      • Good books and good recommendations, Mae.
        Yes, It has been a couple years and has not resolved yet. The parents of the deceased asked for lots of money, in millions. My friend’s attorney keeps filing for continuance, hoping to drag long enough that they would settle for a reasonable amount. After all, their son was speeding. It’s just that he got killed.

        Liked by 1 person

      • Thank you again, Mae! I don’t know if I’ll have a review this week. I’m trying to catch up also. I may post review every two weeks or once a month with reviews like what you and some authors do. Thank you for your insightful words in the review. I appreciated that. Look forward to your post!

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  17. Fantastic and intriguing selection, Mae! Like you, I’m somewhat “otherwise engaged” at the moment, plowing through the 15 Dresden Files books as we await the release of #16. But I can see my TBR pile is NOT going to stop growing while I’m following my favorite wizard around. 😀 Thanks for the super reviews! Taking note, for sure. 🙂

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    • Dresdenphiles Unite! Where have I heard that before, LOL?
      Like you, I am currently knee deep in the Dresden series, but I keep buying books and adding to my TBR or saving to my wish lit. Once I finish with Harry, I’m going to have a lot of catching up to do. Glad a few of these caught your interest 🙂

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  20. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Mae. By the way, I love the kitten in your post header.
    I loved the short lived Dresden Files TV series. At the time I didn’t know about the books. I’ve bought the first one now — just trying to find time to read it. So, I’m looking forward to your thoughts on that series. Hugs on the wing.

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    • Books and kittens/cats, Teagan. What an awesome combo 🙂

      I never saw the Dresden series but I got the impression the actor didn’t really fir the character as described in the books. I’m going to have to look it up.

      And that’s fab you picked up the first book in the series. Jim Buchter wrote it when he was 21 for a college writing course. Every book I the series just gets better and better. And I fully understand about trying to find the time to fit it into your TBR. I lament mine every day, LOL, {{Hugs}}

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  21. The Accident sounds like a great pick, Mae. I haven’t read any of the Dresden Files (just waiting for the series to finish before I start) but I’ve read tons of great press about that one. I’m looking forward to your thoughts. Happy Reading!

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