The coast to coast murders by James Patterson and J.D.Barker

 It all starts with an innocent phone call, a neighbour complaining about water coming from his apartment, and it ends with Michael Kepler finding a body in his bath tub.  This would be a traumatic event for anybody, finding the body of a stranger dead in your apartment, but it is just the start of the nightmare.  The LAPD are convinced that Michael and the victim knew each other, that they had a relationship - and even Michael has to admit the evidence is pretty convincing.  As they dig into the case Michael is forced to admit to his past, that he hasn't been Michael Kepler since he was a child - his legal name is Michael Fitzgerald, and he has spent the last few years working as a long haul truck driver, estranged from his adoptive parents trying to make a life of his own.  Even the death and funeral of his adoptive father isn't a compelling enough reason to return to the 'loving' home he grew up in.

Michael seems to be in a dream he can't wake from, a nightmare in which he is pursued by Detective Dobbs from the LAPD, and FBI Agent Gimble.  The only lifeline he has is his adopted sister Megan, who has faced her own share of challenges over the years at the hands of their parents.  From the outside Michael and Megan were both lucky to have ended up with Doctors Bart and Rose Fitzgerald, a respected psychologist and psychiatrist - but living with them was not the rescue either of them needed or deserved.  Doctor Bart was not raising the children, he was conducting an experiment, and as Michael and Megan know only too well it was not for their benefit.  As Michael runs he experiences crippling headaches, blackouts, and a string of bodies is left in his wake.  As Michael ang Megan race to reach the last two names on what appears to be more of a hit list than patient list, they will uncover secrets that were better left buried.  Detective Dobbs and Agent Gimble are in a race against time, and they don't know what they are facing - no one really does.

The coast to coast murders is the kind of action driven, completely absorbing thriller I have come to expect from James Patterson and his coauthors.  This is a departure from the stories about detectives and agents, although both are included - this is a thriller about a young man who has woken up in a nightmare where he is not a victim but a criminal.  You don't know what to expect, it seems so cut and dried and obvious that he is the killer, but once he is on the run you are confronted with a more startling reality - instead of being nurtured and protected by his guardians he was instead subjected to experimentation that would break most adults.  The true horror of his upbringing is slowly revealed as his story blends with the written statement from his adopted sister Megan.  It is also clear that the two siblings looked out for each and still look out for each other - important when you have been through what they have.

This is one of those stories where I am trying not to say too much because the twists and flow of the story depends on you coming into it with no idea what is coming - it is more enjoyable and awe inspiring that way.  This is a crime thriller unlike any I have read this year and it is going to take some serious skill for anyone (alone or co-authored) to knock The coast to coast murders off the throne of best crime thriller for 2020 for me.  It uses all of it's 554 to drag you on a twisting and twisted ride as you try and figure out what is really happening and why.

If you like this book then try:

• Kill me if you can by James Patterson and Marshall Karp
• Lost by James Patterson and James O. Born
• Never never by James Patterson and Candice Fox
• Good me bad me by Ali Land
• Spare me the truth by C.J. Carver
• Orphan X by Greg Hurwitz
• Eeny meeny by M.J. Arlidge
• Sticks and stones by Katherine Firkin
• The better sister by Alafair Burke
• The vanishing season by Joanna Schaffhausen
• Killing trail by Margaret Mizushima
• Breaking Creed by Alex Kava
• City of fear by Alafair Burke
• Gathering dark by Candice Fox

Reviewed by Brilla

The midwife murders by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo

 Lucy Ryuan is a midwife at the Gramatan University Hospital (GUH), working in a midwifery department that seems to be held in disdain by the CEO Dr. Barrett Katz.  Lucy is used to standing up for herself and her patients, and nothing will stop her looking out for the welfare of her tiny little charges and their mothers.  Highly experienced, Lucy and her fellow midwives have years of training and on-the-job experience, and there is very little that they can't handle.  When one of the babies they delivered goes missing Lucy is concerned, but she is also angry, angry that anyone would steal a baby.  

When another baby goes missing, and then another in rather gruesome circumstances, Lucy is determined to stop the kidnappers no matter what.  That determination leads her right into the path of Detective Leon Blumenthal, who has invaded the hospital along with the rest of his team.  Everyone at GUH is on edge, but there seems to be a frustrating lack of progress on the case.  When Lucy finds her safety, and the safety of her son Willie, at risk she knows she has no choice but to finish what she started.

The midwife murders is an interesting read, mainly because it is not quite in the same style as other books by James Patterson and his co-authors.  It is in a similar, slightly off kilter style as The store which was also co-authored by Richard Dilallo, but it still may not appeal to readers of the 'typical' James Patterson novel.  Lucy Ryuan is a feisty and interesting character to have as a lead - she is determined, stubborn, has her flaws, and has a fantastic temper which leads her into all sorts of interesting situations.  Her flipsides are Detective Leon Blumenthal who seems to be so laid back and dismissive that he seems to belittle her, and the equally cool and calm Dr. Rudra Sarkar who seems to be very interested in Lucy for a number of reasons.

The midwife murders will not appeal to all readers as it is quite a departure from the 'traditional' James Patterson, mainly because it is so focused on one character (Lucy) and everything she feels and sees colours how you see and feel everything too.  This is not an intense action thriller that takes place at a mile a minute, or a detective focused thriller where you test yourself to see if you have solved the puzzle before the end - it is much more emotion-tugging and character driven.  I didn't dislike it, I didn't love it, it was a solid read.  This was an enjoyable read, and I loved the reference to the Call the midwife TV series that appears (because who wouldn't). 

If you like this book then try:

• 1st case by James Patterson & Chris Tebbetts
• Kill me if you can by James Patterson and Marshall Karp
• Lost by James Patterson and James O. Born
• Never never by James Patterson and Candice Fox
• Spare me the truth by C.J. Carver
• Orphan X by Greg Hurwitz
• Eeny meeny by M.J. Arlidge
• City of the lost by Kelley Armstrong
• The better sister by Alafair Burke
• The vanishing season by Joanna Schaffhausen
• Breaking Creed by Alex Kava
• City of fear by Alafair Burke
• Gathering dark by Candice Fox

Reviewed by Brilla

Warrior of the wild by Tricia Levenseller

Life is hard for eighteen year old Rasmira and her people.  They live in a harsh world where they live at the whim of a powerful god who demands tribute each year for the the boon of letting them live their lives.  Rasmira knows she is lucky to be the daughter of the village leader, she and her sisters have never gone hungry, but there is a lot of pressure for her to succeed too.  Her father has great expectations of Rasmira, expecting her to be just as deadly as the boys that are training to be warriors, and only her adult trial stands between Rasmira and her destiny.  It is not easy being her fathers daughter though, the boys she has grown up with and trained beside resent the special treatment she appears to receive - the praise heaped upon her as they receive curses, not just from her father but from their trainer as well.  

Rasmira is used to being alone and apart, but recently she has discovered that there is more to life than training and fighting monsters.  Entering her trial seems like a reward at the end of the uphill fight she has faced - but then disaster strikes as her trial is sabotaged and Rasmira has no choice but to either complete her mattugr or face banishment and certain death in the wilds beyond her village.  The mattugr she is given is no simple task, they never are - she has to travel across the wild and kill the god who oppresses her people.  Rasmira has seen the god in action and knows that he has powers that protect him, making it almost certain that she will fail her mattugr and remain banished forever.  

Her father and village have underestimated her determination though, and as Rasmira sets out to find the god Peruxolo and end his life she knows that she will find and kill the god or die trying.  The wilds are a dangerous place, filled with monsters and creatures that are deadly, but in Rasmira also finds beauty and some surprising allies where she least expects them.  As she fights to survive long enough to complete her task, Rasmira finds herself learning some surprising lessons.  But will it be enough to keep her alive long enough, and give her the knowledge she needs, to complete her mattugr and return home?

I picked up a copy of Warrior of the wild after reading The shadows between us hoping that the story would be as good, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was just as good if not better.  Both books feature strong young women who know what they want and are not afraid to do whatever it takes to get what they want - in Rasmira's case she is not only a skilled warrior who trains hard to be just as good as they boys of her village, she also has a strong sense of honour, and justice.  I found the world she was in particularly appealing because it has echoes of Viking mythology, but also because it made sense (even if the monsters are somewhat creepy and scary).  

The story flows and develops, and you see Rasmira change and grow as she faces new challenges and ideas.  The characters around her also change and grow in different ways, and it is all too easy to picture her world and the people in it.  At times I was cheering for her, at other times I wanted to shake her, and other times it felt like a friend was facing danger and there was nothing I could do to stop her walking right into it.  This is a fantastic novel and while it does feel as though the story is complete, it is a world that would be worth visiting again if Levenseller happened to write more stories set in the world.

If you like this book then try:

• Court of fives by Kate Elliott
• Walk on Earth a stranger by Rae Carson
• The extinction trials by S.M. Wilson
• The testing by Joelle Charbonneau
• Sky in the deep by Adrienne Young
• Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst

Reviewed by Brilla