Five For Tuesday – Books You Just Can’t Put Down – 2-22-2022
Since I’ve been listening to Audiobooks lately I will list my “books”, however they are digital. These are also books that I have read in the past few years. I’m sure I could look back and find so many others.
The Wivesby Tarryn Fisher is a twisted mystery leaving you wondering if you, as the reader, or the characters are the ones who cannot keep the story straight! Who is Thursday and how is she intertwined with Monday and Tuesday, or is she Seth’s one and only true love?
Thursday is the narrator and main character in this perplexing mystery. The author explains the situation very well from the beginning of the story so you can follow who is who, but their roles become muddied as Thursday becomes more curious about her Polygamist husband’s other wives. From the beginning, Thursday was always okay with the arrangement between her and Seth; he had other wives and she would keep her curiosity at bay, knowing she was the one “legal” wife, and the most loved. But as she digs deeper into Seth’s other relationships, she realizes she might not be the most important and she is starting to understand why. Will collaboration with the other wives help answer some of her questions? What will Seth do when he finds out she has contacted the other wives?
I give this story 4 out of 5 stars for its intricate and intriguing plot. Throughout the story the reader is left rooting for each wife for varied reasons and the author sends you on a twisted journey. There are a few times later in the story that it is hard to differentiate between the real and the imagined and to know whether this perplexity is set up purposely by the author or just the reader being confused. In the end, this book is worth reading and I would read more from Tarryn Fisher.
I Will Never Leave You by S.M. Thayer takes you on an inside look at what a couple will do to have a baby of their own. You won’t want to put it down!
Trish and James have what every couple wants, love, careers, and an endless amount of money thanks to Trish’s father and his banking success. The one thing they’ve never been able to get is a baby despite all the different attempts and methods. When Trish finds out that James has a mistress, she feels like her life is shattered. She is broken into even more pieces when James tells her that Laurel is pregnant with his baby! Who is Laurel and where did James meet her? Does this mean that Trish is the sole reason she and James don’t have a baby of their own?
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. I was hooked from the beginning and with all the twists and turns of the plot, I couldn’t stop reading until the very last page. Everything you think will happen does; or at least seems to happen. Thayer has done a fantastic job at keeping the plot moving and the reader guessing.
Emergence by Shira Shiloah is a captivating medical thriller that will keep you wondering how evil can surpass true caring and professionalism.
Roxanne Roth is a dedicated anesthesiologist, proud of her experience and compassion for the patients she treats, but no one wants to listen to her when she tells them that Dr. Webb is purposely killing his patients.
Dr. Webb is an experienced neurosurgeon with a side to him no one who works with him ever witness. His recklessness spreads far beyond the operating room, to partying, prostitutes, and drugs. He has a clean record as far as anyone can see but, does he really care about being a doctor?
I give this story 5 out of 5 stars for the fast-paced plot and believable characters. The story is a mix of Grey’s Anatomy meets Dexter. Even when you think the evil is about to end, hold on for a spin, where trusted professionals are put to the test to protect their own reputations. Although the beginning is slightly confusing as you try to sort out who the main players are and their roles, every aspect of this story rolls out nicely to provide a quick read and unbelievable plot. It is a medical thriller that will make you think twice about the doctors you choose when you must go under the knife.
Median Gray by Bill Mesce, Jr is an NYPD story showing the real grit and the extremes officers in New York go through with a compelling voice leading you to think you are there listening to Big Sid, Ronnie, and Captain Van Dyne as they work together to clean up the city streets and the corrupt station they belong to.
Ronnie is a rookie who has been paired up with Big Sid, a seasoned veteran of the NYPD. Under the leadership of Captain Victor Van Dyne, those officers who have not been involved in the scandal plaguing their precinct, work together to find out who is dirty, who is not and who they need to get off the streets. The story starts with a gripping view of Officer Meara when he was a rookie cop then jumps ahead to “now” when most of the precinct has been found to be corrupt. The story is believable and delivers a realistic depiction of true-life officers with the only confusion being that it is hard at the beginning to know who is on the good side and which precinct they belong to. Once the story starts moving it all seems to fall into place quickly.
I give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars for a believable plot, relatable characters, and true-to-life New York City Police Department police officers. Fast-paced and engrossing you won’t want to put this book down until you find out how it all ends.
Altered Helixby Stephanie Hansen is a fast paced, coming of age mystery where the life of one teen becomes intertwined with a group of similarly aged young adults. Join Austria as she learns more about where she came from and what life has in store for her.
Readers will enjoy the twists and turns of this quickly pivoting plot, at once drawn in by a sneak peek of the main character’s face with danger: being kidnapped from her job. The author introduces a variety of characters and the reader is left wondering who might be responsible for the kidnapping, who can be trusted and who cannot.
The plot is amazingly easy to follow and moves quickly so readers are always awaiting the next event. The situations the characters are in are believable as related to the plot line and anyone who has wondered what to do with their futures will instantly relate to Austria, the main character.
I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars. While Austria is a character well developed by the author there are some interactions between characters that did not seem realistic. Early in the book Austria first meets one of the other boys her age. She is instantly attracted to him, but her reaction is quick to judge. Pg. 21: “Well signed up for or not, Joshua excites me. I just need to show him that I make the decisions here.”
Hansen has set up this story with a nice conclusion in addition to leaving enough ends open to incite you to read the next story in the series. I do look forward to reading about Austria and how she continues to develop.
Stine Writing 
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