"Last Night at Villa Lucia" by Simon McCleave

 

"Last Night at Villa Lucia" by Simon McCleave is a compelling thriller set in Tuscany. The beautiful cover and intriguing blurb grabbed my attention, and the story pulled me in further. It was well-written and flowed at a fast pace.

The story revolves around Cerys, the alcoholic owner of Villa Lucia, a vacation getaway in Tuscany. She is trying to escape her past and forget her abusive ex-husband. Her daughter Lowri, an aspiring musician, is staying with her while deciding on her next move. The villa's caretakers, Lucia and her ex-Mafioso husband Lorenzo, add to the complexity of the setting. Guests at the villa include Zoe, Harry, and their son Charlie. When a body is found floating in the pool, the police suspect foul play. The victim was disliked by many, making everyone at the villa a suspect.

I enjoyed the story very much. The narrative alternates between Cerys' first-person perspective and the third-person perspectives of the other characters, incorporating flashbacks that illuminate the present. It deals with themes of alcoholism, toxic and abusive relationships, and controlling men. The characters were well-rounded and fleshed out. I liked some of them and disliked others. I didn't guess the identity of the culprit, so the reveal caught me by surprise.

I was sold on this one from the very first line. Good plotting, judiciously dropped clues, and twists make this a good read. The only thing I didn't like was the use of drugs by the young characters. Other than that, the storyline is easy to follow, and the author provides an excellent sense of setting. This was my first book by the author, but it will not be my last. I recommend it to those who enjoy thriller novels and reading about characters overcoming life struggles. It is the perfect summer read!

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.

* For more info about the book: "Last Night at Villa Lucia" by Simon McCleave

"Refractions" by M V Melcer

 

Intergalactic travel, a rescue mission, and mystery? Count me in! I love space opera tales, and this book didn't disappoint. "Refractions" by M V Melcer is a page-turning space opera and one of the best novels I've read in a long time.

The book follows Nathalie Hart, a Canadian space pilot who lives in Kenya. When all communication with Bethesda, humanity's first extra-solar colony, stops, an interstellar rescue expedition is set. Nathalie volunteers to join the mission to escape a painful past and a guilty conscience. A few years into the voyage, she’s rudely woken out of cryo-sleep to find smoke and chaos. She finds out that, as the second in command, she is now in charge of the ship and crew, who consist of different nationalities. She isn't over-enthusiastic about it, but she is the only one the different factions will accept.

The plot thickens when she finds a message on her cryo-pod with one word: "sabotage." She doesn't know who she can trust, but she must buckle down and face the music. It appears someone will go to great lengths to keep Bethesda’s secrets, and it's up to her to unravel the mystery. If she fails, many innocent lives will be lost.

Thus starts an exciting adventure chock-full of commentary on climate change, politics, and corruption. With themes of friendship, trust, community, fallible human nature, environmental concerns, deceit, and moral conflicts, the author has woven a tale that I enjoyed reading.

The setup was interesting, and it was a fascinating way of seeing the way human nature does or doesn’t change. There’s a large cast in "Refractions," and the author did a great job of fleshing them all out. The characters are amazingly written, coming across as very genuine and fallible.

I didn't find the technical jargon too technical and found it an easy read. It wasn't preachy despite the references to the human impact on the environment and potentially scary scenarios. The narrative jumps smoothly around from the present to the past and has excellent backstories and interesting world-building. I enjoyed the present sections more than the past sections, but I still found the book to be a highly engaging read

Overall, I was very impressed with the story. It's complex, multifaceted, and thought-provoking. As with most really good science fiction novels, the true point of the story is the exploration of human nature by showing how different people act when faced with difficult choices and moral dilemmas. It certainly deserved full stars! I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. It's epic science fiction and engaging character-driven storytelling, which will appeal to devotees of the genre or just fans of excellent story-telling. Highly recommended!

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.

* For more info about the book: "Refractions" by M V Melcer

"Little Ghosts" by Gregg Dunnett

 

"Little Ghosts" by Gregg Dunnett is a touching and alluring paranormal thriller of loss, grief, family, and everlasting love. Usually, I don't like to read books about child abduction and murder, but the unique premise caught my eye. While I don't believe in ghosts, I do love ghost stories. A kid who sees and talks with his dead sister's ghost?? Counts me in.

The book follows ten-year-old Gales and his family after a tragedy has struck them. Two years previously his sister was abducted and murdered while they were at the beach. DI Kieran Clarke is the detective assigned to the murder case, but the murderer was never caught.

Two years later, Gales is still sad and withdrawn. After claiming to see the ghost of his sister, his parents send him to a grief counselor to deal with his issues. The plot thickens when his sister's ghost starts communicating with him and asks for his help in revealing her murderer.  The two start investigating and find a clue that may help tracking the murderer. Now, all they have to do is to convince the adults to believe them. A bit hard to do when Gales can't reveal the source of his knowledge. The clock starts ticking when the murderer threatens to kidnap another kid.

I enjoyed the book and found it very touching. As a mother myself, I identified with the mother and admired her determination not to give up. The characters are all finely drawn. The author did a great job creating interesting, believable characters (most of them anyway) I could care about.  I found the exploration of the characters' mindsets fascinating. The author draws the kids very well, although there were a bit old for their age. However, grief and loss do that to a person. The story does demand a suspension of belief, but what book doesn't?

Gregg Dunnett takes the reader on an intense, terrifying journey into the mindset of a murderer (not a pretty sight). There are twists and other surprises in store for the reader. The book is written in the third POV and divided into two parts. The first part is focused on Gales and his parents, while the second part is focused on the murderer and the dark road he took. This is a thriller mixed with a police procedural, and it was interesting to see the steps taken to uncover the murderer. We know who is the murderer by the end of part one, and I certainly didn't see it coming. The identity of the murderer left me agape. There is tension as the reader is eager to discover if they catch the murderer on time before he carries out his evil plan, if at all.

Don't let the length of the book deters you from reading it. The reading was smooth sailing, and there is not a dull moment. There were a couple of typos I saw (grief being spelled as grief in Loc 5104), but nothing another round of editing won't solve, and it didn't hurt my enjoyment of the book. As I couldn't stop reading and needed to know how it would end, I felt the book deserved full stars. The book may not suit everyone due to its subject matter. I recommend the book to those who enjoy psychological thrillers with paranormal elements and can stomach the triggers.

Triggers alert: child abduction, abuse, and murder.

* For more info about the book: "Little Ghosts" by Gregg Dunnett

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own.