Bibliophile Amber's Book Reviews

​ Title: The Ghost That Haunt Me  Author: Steve Ryan  Expected Publication: September 13,2022 Publisher: Dundurn Press  Genre: True Crime, Nonfiction, Memoir  Pages: 264 pages  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Review:  Wow! Steve Ryan, a veteran homicide detective of the Toronto squad, talks about 6 murders. Now, these are the six murder investigations that have stayed with him throughout his whole career.  I really enjoy true-crime books and the true-crime podcast so this was right up my alley! Steve talks about joining the police force. Steve does an amazing job of sharing the facts of the story and gives you a first-hand view of what happened, in these six different cases! However, if true crime is not your deal I wouldn't pick this book up because it can kind of be intense at times but boy oh boy was this book good!  I really appreciated the way Steve talked about these cases and brought the victims to life, in a manner to make sure that the reader ju...

​ Title: The Lady’s Guide to Death and Deception  Author: Katherine Cowley  Expected Publication: September 6,2022  Publisher: Dreamscape Media  Genre: Historical Fiction and Mystery  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Review:  So I read this one as a standalone and commemorate this author, she took characters from a well-loved Pride and Prejudice and made them her own. That on its own was absolutely amazing! Then, her mystery and development of the characters are outstanding. I really enjoyed this book a lot!  Mary is a spy working with Mr. Withrow and while they have worked together in the past this time is entirely different. Mary at first was in denial about her feelings toward Mr. Withrow, but soon she realized that she held a deep regard for him. However, while investigating murders and helping the Duke of Wellington her emotions and feelings have to be put on the back burner.  I do have to say that this novel was the perfect mixture of romance, myste...

​ Title: Other Peoples Secrets  Author: Meredith Hambrock  Expected Publication: September 6,2022  Publisher: Dreamscape Media  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Genre: Mystery, contemporary  Review:  This one was very different from what I thought it was going to be. However, being different is not always a bad thing I really enjoyed the twist and turns of the story!  Baby is known to everyone in the area because when she was a baby she was found in a dumpster and then adopted by Hannah. Then, when Hannah dies it seems like with her grief she is twisting down the bad luck train! Her lakeside home and work were sold and they are trying to create it into something totally different than what it always has been, on and off again boyfriend is from the rich side and won't really commit to her or even a relationship, and then while her heart is in the right place she wants to save her home she ends up creating a bigger issue than she ever thought possible!  Baby is thr...

​ Title: Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade  Author: Nancy Springer  Expected Publication: September 6,2022  Publisher: Macmillan Audio  Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Young Adult  Pages: 240 pages  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review:  OMG!! I adore this whole series and I was really excited to see another adventure underfoot! Enola has put her finding lost things on the back burner while she is attending university and she still has a quirky relationship with her older brother(Who is an adamant Sherlock Holmes Fan I Adore). However, when Enola devices to visit Cicely she is not let into the home. Enola is adamant that she knows something fishy is going on, so as usual, she is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery! Later after dark when she returns to Cicely's home she is attempting to climb into the window when Cicely climbs down the rope and they set off together to her home.  Then Sherlock comes questioning Cicely and when Enola thinks ...

​ Title: Amy Among The Serial Killers  Author: Jincy Willett Expected Publication: August 23,2022  Publisher: Dreamscape Media and St. Martins Press  Genre: Mystery, Fiction, Humor  Pages: 400 pages  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Review:  So this one is very different than what I normally read but, I enjoyed it. While this is a part of the series I definitely adding the series to my TBR. 35-year-old Carla Karolak runs a really unique successful business where she rents out cells to different aspiring authors to basically be in solitude for a preset number of hours per week. It seems like things are going really well until Carla finds Toonie murdered in her writing cell. Now, this along with the investigation gets a bit more complicated when more murders around the area start occurring along.  While Carla is upset over Toonie's murder, she is also concerned about how this murder is going to affect her business. While the Police, Amy, and Carla are trying to fi...

​ Title: Six Feet Deep Dish  Author: Mindy Quigley  Expected Publication: August 23, 2022 Publisher: St Martins Press  Genre: Cozy-Mystery  Pages: 320 pages  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review:  Omg! I am a sucker for cozy mysteries and this one was no exception! Delilah is kinda a perfectionist when it comes to cooking, and right now her life is almost perfect! She moved back home and she is opening a gourmet pizzeria with her best friend forever. So things are really looking good for her right now, she is even engaged to a sweet man who is underwriting the new pizzeria! Then, the unimaginable happens. Her fiance dumps her and then goes into ghosting mode. Subsequently, she has a murder happen at her restaurant! Not only that her sweet aunt is found holding the murder weapon and cannot recall anything! So she must find out what happened because she wants to clear her aunt's name!  This cozy mystery gives you everything that a cozy mystery should! A nice setting ...

​ Title: All The Living And The Dead  Author: Hayley Campbell Published: August 16,2022 Publisher: Macmillan Audio  Genre: History, Non-Fiction  Pages:288 pages  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Review:  Death is something that is everyday life. It's on the TV, news, on the radio, and even in the workplace or school. It's part of the inevitable. Death makes most people uncomfortable or frightened. Campbell fueled by her own curiosities takes the reader into the depths of death that most never get the sight of. She goes on the search for those who work with death on a daily basis and asks the questions that most people were told were impolite or something not to be asked by our elders.  I really appreciated the people she interviewed and the line “The first person you see dead should not be one you love” Death nowadays is something that is feared and people do not want to expose anyone to that, because when death usually comes around its someone you love and there i...

​ Title: Please Join Us  Author: Catherine McKenzie  Expected Publication: August 23,2022 Publisher: Atria Books  Genre: Mystery/Thriller  Pages: 320 pages  Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review:  Nicole is a Lawyer and when she is basically feeling like her world is collapsing on her she receives a mysterious invitation. Now, this invitation is for a Woman’s Networking group that is very exclusive. Now Nicole’s husband is not quite convinced about this group at all, he thinks it sounds like a cult. However, she decides to see what's going on and go to the retreat.  Once she joined the group she realizes how powerful the women in the group are and how her problems are seemingly getting solved. They find a new place to live, she starts getting more work and they check in on one another. Now, this seems like a complete dream and everything is going really well until a phone call in the middle of the night.  This call is insisting that she goes to one of the oth...

​ Title: The Couple at Number 9  Author: Claire Douglas  Published: August 2, 2022 Published by: Harper Paperbacks Genre: Thriller/Mystery  Pages: 400 pages Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  Review:  Tom and Saffy thought they had their dream house and their plans for the home were going great until all the planning and events came to a halt!  Two skeletons were found, I think the police were kind of incompetent. However, the beginning was a bit sluggish do not give up a little past halfway this book picked up! The twist and turns had me biting my nails and on the edge of my seat! Now I did enjoy the person who held the key to the secrets buried had Alzheimer's disease. That was a nice touch! If you enjoy Ruth Ware or Lisa Jewell then you would love this thriller. This is a great family secrets thriller and will keep you on the edge of your seat! I definitely recommend it! Thank you Netgalley and Harper Paperbacks for the extraordinary opportunity to read and review this o...