Simon & Schuster – The Book Diva's Reads

Book Spotlight: THE HOUSE OF EVE by Sadeqa Johnson

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson
ISBN-13: 9781982197360 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781982197384 (eBook)
ISBN: 9781797153353 (Digital Audiobook)
ASIN: B0B4ZMDH21 (Audible Audiobook)
ASIN: B0B3Y7NPMZ (Kindle edition)
Page Count: 384
Release Date: February 7, 2023
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre: Fiction | Historical Fiction

REESE’S FEBRUARY 2023 BOOK CLUB PICK

“A triumph of historical fiction.” —The Washington Post

From the award-winning author of Yellow Wife, a daring and redemptive novel set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, DC, that explores what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal.

1950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright.

Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his parents don’t let just anyone into their fold. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for. But having a baby—and fitting in—is easier said than done.

With their stories colliding in the most unexpected of ways, Ruby and Eleanor will both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives.

Praise for The House of Eve:

Praise for THE HOUSE OF EVE by Sadeqa Johnson: "I loved this book." Patti Callahan Henry, author of THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA

“Sadeqa Johnson is expert at excavating the parts of the past that we would rather not confront. She dusts off these harrowing histories, shines them up, and gives them their proper glory. She mines this terrain with soaring grace, shining intellect, and a love that resonates on every page. Thanks to Johnson’s enviable ability to craft narratives that not only educate and elucidate, but also enamor, the stories of Ruby and Eleanor, and the Ancestors and Elders they represent, will remain with me always. The House of Eve is a powerful witnessing, an indispensable testimony, and a remarkable addition to Johnson’s already stunning bibliography.” —ROBERT JONES, JR., author of The New York Times bestselling novel, The Prophets

“I don’t know where to begin with the brilliantly written House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson. There were so many twists and turns, so many heart palpitating moments—I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. House of Eve is one of those novels that will stay with you long after you read the last page.” —VICTORIA CHRISTOPHER MURRAY, New York Times bestselling author of The Personal Librarian

“The House of Eve is a triumph of historical fiction.… Johnson’s novel is an affecting and arresting exploration of young Black womanhood and motherhood in the mid-20th century…. Johnson’s talents are in full bloom in this layered story with two distinctive and compelling young Black women at the center…. The House of Eve is engrossing, emotionally wrenching and socially astute storytelling.” —Washington Post

“This is a moving work of women’s fiction with timely perspective on racism, colorism, and pre-Roe women’s rights in the United States of the 1950s. Fans of Tayari Jones, Brit Bennett, and Jeni McFarland will want to check it out.” —Library Journal

“Johnson’s suspenseful and thought-provoking latest follows two young Black women as they separately navigate mid-20th century America…. This well-crafted work is bound to provoke discussion among readers about the conflicts women face regarding pregnancy.” —Publishers Weekly

“Johnson showcases the difficult boundaries of race, class, and education as she explores the obstacles and consequences that confront those who seek to cross them.” —Booklist

Meet The Author

Author Sadeqa Johnson photograph featuring a smiling Black American female with shoulder-length reddish-brown hair wearing a white top with flutter-sleeves — Author Sadeqa Johnson

Sadeqa Johnson is the international best-selling author of five novels including Yellow Wife. Her accolades include being the 2022 Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy finalist, a BCALA Literary Honoree, and the Library of Virginia’s Literary People’s Choice Award winner. Originally from Philadelphia, she currently lives near Richmond, Virginia, with her husband and three children.

Connect with the author via: website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter

Book Spotlight: ALL THE MISSING GIRLS by Megan Miranda

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
ISBN: 9781501107962 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781501107986 (ebook)
ASIN: B0176M3UJW (Kindle version)
Publication Date: June 28, 2016
Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Like the spellbinding psychological suspense in The Girl on the Train and Luckiest Girl Alive, Megan Miranda’s novel is a nail-biting, breathtaking story about the disappearances of two young women—a decade apart—told in reverse.

It’s been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared from Cooley Ridge without a trace. Back again to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father, Nic is soon plunged into a shocking drama that reawakens Corinne’s case and breaks open old wounds long since stitched.

The decade-old investigation focused on Nic, her brother Daniel, boyfriend Tyler, and Corinne’s boyfriend Jackson. Since then, only Nic has left Cooley Ridge. Daniel and his wife, Laura, are expecting a baby; Jackson works at the town bar; and Tyler is dating Annaleise Carter, Nic’s younger neighbor and the group’s alibi the night Corinne disappeared. Then, within days of Nic’s return, Annaleise goes missing.

Told backwards—Day 15 to Day 1—from the time Annaleise goes missing, Nic works to unravel the truth about her younger neighbor’s disappearance, revealing shocking truths about her friends, her family, and what really happened to Corinne that night ten years ago.

Like nothing you’ve ever read before, All the Missing Girls delivers in all the right ways. With twists and turns that lead down dark alleys and dead ends, you may think you’re walking a familiar path, but then Megan Miranda turns it all upside down and inside out and leaves us wondering just how far we would be willing to go to protect those we love.

Praise for All the Missing Girls:

“Fiendishly plotted thriller…Miranda convincingly conjures a haunted setting that serves as a character in its own right, but what really makes this roller-coaster so memorable is her inspired use of reverse chronology, so that each chapter steps further back in time, dramatically shifting the reader’s perspective.” Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A darkly nostalgic adult debut sure to draw new readers and please her YA base…Miranda takes a risk by telling the story backward, but it pays off with an undroppable thriller, plenty of romantic suspense, and a fresh take on the decades-old teenage-murder theme.” Booklist

“All the Missing Girls is a smart, suspenseful, and emotionally complex thriller. Told in reverse, this story will make you want to lock the doors, turn off the phone, and read until the last satisfying page.” Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Ex

“As original as it is addictive, this story puts a knot in your gut from the opening pages. Then, through the wizardry of its unconventional structure, that knot tightens and tightens and will not let go until the final pages—and even then the story continues to haunt you. Vividly rendered, psychologically complex, and narratively acrobatic, All The Missing Girls is, above all, totally gripping.” Tim Johnston, New York Times bestselling author of Descent

“Megan Miranda’s utterly gripping and original All the Missing Girls keeps you off balance in the most perfect way. I was held hostage by the book from the first page to the stunning conclusion. This literally backward tale is a winner.” Lisa Lutz, New York Times bestselling author of The Passenger and How to Start a Fire

“In All the Missing Girls Megan Miranda leads readers back through the past of a small southern town, enfolding them in a slow, tense nightmare of suspicion, menace, and tangled motives. A twisty, compulsive read—I loved it.” Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood

Meet the author:

Megan Miranda is the author of the young adult novels Fracture, Hysteria, Vengeance, and Soulprint. Her next young adult novel, The Safest Lies, published by Crown BFYR/Random House on May 24th, 2016. Her first novel for adults, All the Missing Girls, will be published by Simon & Schuster on June 28th, 2016. Megan has a degree in Biology from MIT and currently lives near Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband and two children.

Connect with the author:

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Twitter

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2016 Book 82: THE PASSENGER by Lisa Lutz

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz
ISBN: 9781451686630 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781451686654 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781442396494 (audio)
ASIN: B014DXC07U (Kindle edition)
Publication date: March 1, 2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

From the author of the New York Times bestselling Spellman Files series, Lisa Lutz’s latest blistering thriller is about a woman who creates and sheds new identities as she crisscrosses the country to escape her past: you’ll want to buckle up for the ride!

In case you were wondering, I didn’t do it. I didn’t have anything to do with Frank’s death. I don’t have an alibi, so you’ll have to take my word for it…

Forty-eight hours after leaving her husband’s body at the base of the stairs, Tanya Dubois cashes in her credit cards, dyes her hair brown, demands a new name from a shadowy voice over the phone, and flees town. It’s not the first time.

She meets Blue, a female bartender who recognizes the hunted look in a fugitive’s eyes and offers her a place to stay. With dwindling choices, Tanya-now-Amelia accepts. An uneasy―and dangerous―alliance is born.

It’s almost impossible to live off the grid today, but Amelia-now-Debra and Blue have the courage, the ingenuity, and the desperation, to try. Hopscotching from city to city, Debra especially is chased by a very dark secret…can she outrun her past?

With heart-stopping escapes and devious deceptions, The Passenger is an amazing psychological thriller about defining yourself while you pursue your path to survival. One thing is certain: the ride will leave you breathless.

You have a secret past life that you are trying to hide and forget. Your current husband suffers a tragic accident in your home and dies. What do you do? Well, if you’re Tanya Dubois, you run and obtain a new identity (or more). And that’s just what happens in the latest thriller from Lisa Lutz, The Passenger.

Sadly, it isn’t possible to run away from your problems. Tanya-turned-Amelia-turned-Debra finds that out the hard way. She’s currently a “person of interest” in her late husband’s death in one state. She runs south, assuming another identity, and encounters a mysterious female bartender, Blue, and gets involved in the deaths of several others. These actions result in her leaving the south with yet another identity and heading to the Northern Midwest. Along the way she encounters a kindly local sheriff in an almost-one-night-stand before arriving at her destination, a small rural town private school. Has her luck changed? Unfortunately not as she runs into someone from her current identity’s past. Just when she thinks it can’t get any worse, she receives information that her original secret past life is being investigated. Can she keep running from her secrets? Will she survive long enough to find out if all of her secrets will be revealed and the truth finally discovered?

I actually read The Passenger almost a week ago, but had a difficult time writing my thoughts about this book without revealing too much, so my apologies in advance for this somewhat cursory review. I found The Passenger to be a fast-paced and engrossing read that provided thrills and chills with every twist and turn in the story. Although I couldn’t exactly sympathize with Tanya, I did find her and Blue to be complex and highly interesting characters. Tanya’s backstory is gradually revealed throughout the contemporary story and it is just as much of a multilayered mystery as her current dilemma. This story is filled with complicated scenarios, bad guys, really bad guys, and not-so-bad guys. If you enjoy reading stories with a strong protagonist and tons of drama, thrills, and more then you’ll definitely want to add The Passenger to your TBR list. Did I enjoy reading The Passenger? Yes! I look forward to reading more from Ms. Lutz in the future.

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher via NetGalley. I was not paid, required, or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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2015 Book 349: ALL DRESSED IN WHITE by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke

All Dressed in White (Under Suspicion #2) by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke

ISBN: 9781501108556 (hardcover)

ISBN: 9781501108570 (ebook)

ASIN: B00UDCI30E (Kindle edition)

Publication date: November 17, 2015

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

The second thrilling novel in the New York Times bestselling Under Suspicion series following The Cinderella Murder, featuring intrepid television producer Laurie Moran as she investigates the case of a missing bride.

Five years ago Amanda Pierce was excitedly preparing to marry her college sweetheart in a lavish ceremony at The Grand Victoria Hotel in Palm Beach. Then, with their guests and families on site, Amanda disappeared.

In present-day New York City, Laurie Moran realizes a missing bride is the perfect cold case for her investigative television series, Under Suspicion. She and her team set out to recreate the night of the disappearance at the Florida resort with Amanda’s friends and family in attendance, hoping to shed new light on the mystery as the series has done in past episodes. With a jealous sister, playboy groomsmen, Amanda’s former fiancé now married to a bridesmaid, and rumors about the “beloved” bride herself, Laurie and Under Suspicion host Alex Buckley quickly realize everyone has a theory about why Amanda vanished into thin air.

One thing is certain: whoever was behind Amanda’s disappearance plans to keep the truth hidden “until death do they part…”

Laurie Moran and her team have been researching and preparing pitch ideas for the next Under Suspicion television show. They’ve narrowed their choices down to three unsolved cases when the mother of the so-called “runaway bride” comes in and asks that they find out the truth about her daughter’s disappearance. Laurie is sure that this case is the case for Under Suspicion to investigate in All Dressed In White by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke.

Normally Laurie and her team has weeks, if not months, to prepare and investigate a case for their television show. All that changes with the impromptu visit of Sandra Pierce, on behalf of her missing daughter and bride-to-be Amanda Pierce. Now the team has less than a week to do the background on each member of the wedding party, obtain everyone’s permission to appear on the show, and book the Florida resort the wedding would have taken place at five years earlier. It doesn’t take long before Laurie realizes that not everyone saw Amanda in the same loving light as her mother. Amanda’s sister had and continues to have jealousy issues? Amanda’s best friend and maid of honor is now married to Amanda’s fiancé. And Amanda’s fiancé stands to gain a couple of million dollars in her will despite an ironclad prenuptial agreement. Did Amanda get cold feet and simply walk away from her fiance, job, and family or was her disappearance due to more deadly motives?

I found All Dressed in White to be a fast-paced and enjoyable read, as well as a great addition to the Under Suspicion series. This story provides just a little more background and insight into Laurie and Alex’s growing relationship, adding a little bit of a romance element to this mystery. I found the characters to be well-developed, realistic, and likable. The authors provide just enough information to the reader that almost every member of the bridal party becomes suspicious until the bitter end (no, I won’t reveal whodunnit…read the book!). The story takes a few twists and turns along the way, but that only added to my overall enjoyment. If you enjoy reading mysteries or simply are looking for something a little different to read this fall, then I suggest you grab a copy of All Dressed in White.

Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of this book for review purposes from the publisher via Edelweiss. I was not paid, required, or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Book 335: A SUDDEN LIGHT Review

A Sudden Light by Garth Stein
ISBN: 9781439187036 (hardcover)
ISBN: 9781439187050 (ebook)
ISBN: 9781442353244 (audiobook)
ASIN: B00IWTWTO6 (Kindle edition)
Publication date: September 30, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

When a boy tries to save his parents’ marriage, he uncovers a legacy of family secrets in a coming-of-age ghost story by the author of the internationally bestselling phenomenon, The Art of Racing in the Rain.

In the summer of 1990, fourteen-year-old Trevor Riddell gets his first glimpse of Riddell House. Built from the spoils of a massive timber fortune, the legendary family mansion is constructed of giant, whole trees, and is set on a huge estate overlooking Puget Sound. Trevor’s bankrupt parents have begun a trial separation, and his father, Jones Riddell, has brought Trevor to Riddell House with a goal: to join forces with his sister, Serena, dispatch Grandpa Samuel—who is flickering in and out of dementia—to a graduated living facility, sell off the house and property for development into “tract housing for millionaires,” divide up the profits, and live happily ever after.

But Trevor soon discovers there’s someone else living in Riddell House: a ghost with an agenda of his own. For while the land holds tremendous value, it is also burdened by the final wishes of the family patriarch, Elijah, who mandated it be allowed to return to untamed forestland as a penance for the millions of trees harvested over the decades by the Riddell Timber company. The ghost will not rest until Elijah’s wish is fulfilled, and Trevor’s willingness to face the past holds the key to his family’s future.

A Sudden Light is a rich, atmospheric work that is at once a multigenerational family saga, a historical novel, a ghost story, and the story of a contemporary family’s struggle to connect with each other. A tribute to the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, it reflects Garth Stein’s outsized capacity for empathy and keen understanding of human motivation, and his rare ability to see the unseen: the universal threads that connect us all.

Trevor Riddell is a typical fourteen-year-old boy until his parents file bankruptcy and decide on a trial separation. He is then uprooted from his East Coast life to his father’s ancestral home in Washington State. It is here that Trevor meets, for the first time, his grandfather and his aunt. He also discovers more about his father in one week than he has in the past fourteen years. Trevor’s summer at Riddell House is filled with four-generations of father-and-son angst and drama, as well as ghosts. Is it possible for this normal teenager to uncover the secrets in his family and unlock the past so everyone in his family can move on?

A Sudden Light is an amazing blend of one family’s history, self-discovery, historical drama, contemporary fiction, and the supernatural all rolled into one incredible story. Trevor doesn’t set out to uncover his family’s secrets when he arrives at Riddell House, but he quickly begins to realize that all is not what it seems. He hears music in the ballroom and witnesses an apparition dancing, supposedly his grandmother Isobel. He bonds with his grandfather Samuel and learns to deal with his dementia. He admires his Aunt Serena but also realizes that she isn’t the intelligent and beneficent person she appears to be. He also realizes that his father is a broken man, partially by his past at Riddell House and partially because of broken dreams. As Trevor explores Riddell House he learns about his great-great-grandfather Elijah, his gay great-uncle Ben (one of the other ghosts), his great-grandfather Abraham, his grandmother Isobel, his grandfather Samuel, and more. One of the enduring Riddell family legacies seems to be the dysfunctional relationship between father and son. It might seem unrealistic to think that a teenager could mend the broken ties within his family after generations of dysfunction, but that is exactly what Trevor attempts to do.

I could go on and on about the Riddell family’s generational dysfunction, about the ghosts that seem to direct Trevor’s quest, about Serena and Jones (Trevor’s father) machinations to get their father to agree to sell the house and property to a real estate developer, or about Trevor’s growth as a person throughout the story. What I will say is that A Sudden Light is an engrossing read about one boy and his family, those living and those deceased. I enjoyed reading about the history of the Riddell family and Riddell House. I felt sympathy for Benjamin as he mourned the death of his lover and soul mate. I felt sympathy for his father Elijah as he mourned the death of Benjamin. I felt excitement tempered with anxiety as Trevor explored the house and interacted with the ghosts. I was angry with Trevor’s father Jones as he drowned his sorrows in alcohol while attempting to regain his lost youth. We won’t even discuss how I felt about Serena and her passive-aggressive manipulations (I didn’t like it). Be prepared because the ending is a bit of surprise (no I won’t tell you what happens, read the book!). If you like contemporary fiction, historical fiction, ghost stories, or family drama, then this is the book for you to read. If you haven’t guessed by now, I loved A Sudden Light and can recommend it to anyone that simply enjoys reading a well-crafted story.

Listen to the author, Garth Stein, discuss A Sudden Light:

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free for review purposes from the publisher via Edelweiss. I was not paid, required or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Book 228: FACEOFF Review

FACEOFF edited by David Baldacci
ISBN: 9781476762067 (hardback)
ISBN: 9781476762081 (ebook)
ASIN: B00GEEB3WK (Kindle edition)
Publication date: June 3, 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

For the first time ever the world’s greatest thriller characters meet head-to-head in 11 electrifying stories.

Where else will you be able to read about Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme meets John Sandford’s Lucas Davenport? Fans of Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone and James Rollins’ Gray Piece have waited for years to see those characters together. Then there’s Lee Child’s Jack Reacher meeting up with Joseph Finder’s Nick Heller in a bar in Boston. Steve Martini’s Paul Madriani becoming entangled with Linda Fairstein’s Alex Cooper. Plus, you can’t forget the ever-odd Aloysius Pendergast coming face to face with the scary world of R.L. Stine.

In an unprecedented collaboration, twenty-three of the world’s bestselling and critically acclaimed thriller writers have paired their series characters in an eleven-story anthology curated by the International Thriller Writers (ITW). Edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci, FACEOFF is a who’s who of not only the most beloved contemporary thriller writers, but also their iconic characters–putting them head-to-head with their most worthy opponents.

As worlds collide, the characters you think you know best are thrown into unpredictable situations and partnered with, pitted against, and in some cases, romantically entangled with, characters you’d never suspect–and some that you would. With introductions to the stories that describes the writers, their characters, and a bit about the story’s creation, FACEOFF is truly a treasure trove for thriller fans.

Rhymes with Prey is the short story that features Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs from Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme series and Lucas Davenport from John Sandford’s Prey series. I’ve read all of the Lincoln Rhymes books in the past and am a huge fan, but this was the first time I’ve read anything by John Sandford. (Yes, his books are going on my TBR list!) As with the other stories in this anthology, this was a fast-paced and masterful story. Lucas Davenport has been asked to come to New York to assist his friend, NYPD officer Lily Rothenburg in an investigation of a series of murders. Lily fears that these drug-related murders of Latino women may be affiliated with one of the NYPD’s Narcotics squad. Since she isn’t quite sure who she can trust in-house, she has requested Lucas to assist. Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs have been dealing with the forensic evidence from these murders. This two-pronged approach to the investigation quickly reveals that there may be an artistic link to the murders, in addition to the possible police link. All four are pushed to race against the clock as political pressure is applied to the department to quickly solve the case. Can they bring in a suspect, the right suspect, and close the case before the investigation becomes a witch hunt?

Rhymes with Prey was, simply speaking, an amazing read. It was impossible to tell where one writer left off and the other began. The authors were able to provide just the right amount of background into each character to make them familiar to the reader. The action was nonstop and wholly believable. I actually read FACEOFF in one sitting even though I was fighting off a migraine episode. (Yes it is simply that good.)

I’m sure most of you have realized by now that I really enjoy reading mystery-suspense-thrillers. What you may now know is that I’m not really a big fan of short stories or anthologies. However, when you’re given the opportunity to read a collection of short stories featuring some of the best authors and characters in thrillerdom you obviously say “YES!” I just need to add that reading FACEOFF has changed my attitude toward short stories and anthologies for the good. The best thing is I now have a slew of new-to-me authors to begin reading and tons of books to add to my TBR list. If you are a fan of any of these thriller writers or just a fan of short story anthologies, then FACEOFF is a must read.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book free for review purposes from the publisher via Media Muscle | BookTrib. I was not paid, required or otherwise obligated to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”