Review: The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne

The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne by Kate Winkler Dawson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne by Kate Winkler Dawson from Penguin Group Putnam via NetGalley.

The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne by Kate Winkler Dawson is historical true crime about a cold case that may have inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter.  There is a lot about that description that I really love, so I was in immediately.  I also happen to enjoy Kate Winkler Dawson's true crime podcasts which made receiving this ARC a real bonus. We may never know if Sarah Cornell was murdered or took her own life in 1832.  Kate Winkler Dawson lays out the information we know in a compelling fashion and consults with experts to get some more answers based on modern crime analysis techniques.  You'll have to be your own judge based on what we know.  Additionally, the snapshot of the history of the Methodist church is really intriguing.  I didn't know as much about Methodism before, but I will be digging in deeper! 

The thing I love most about this book is that it centers the women involved, Sarah Cornell and Catharine Read Arnold Williams, the writer who brought Sarah's story to the public.  Sarah and Catharine were not perfect people, but Sarah deserved better than the way she was painted after her death.  Catharine was trying to counter that portrayal and in doing so may have written the first true crime book.  

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Review: The Resurrectionist: A Twisty Gothic Mystery of Dark Scottish History

The Resurrectionist: A Twisty Gothic Mystery of Dark Scottish History by A. Rae Dunlap
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of The Resurrectionist: A Twisty Gothic Mystery of Dark Scottish History by A. Rae Dunlap from Kensington Publishing via NetGalley.  The book is available now!

The Resurrectionist: A Twisty Gothic Mystery of Dark Scottish History by A. Rae Dunlap takes you into a history of medical science that some people don't realize existed.  In order to make advancements in medicine, doctors and medical schools needed bodies.  But for religious reasons, many people were not willing to donate their body or the body of a loved one to the medical community.  This led to body snatching.  It seems like an unsavory profession, but it was a necessary evil.  This story delves into that world and the cut-throat competition for corpses.  It is also a love story.  Didn't see that coming, did you?  If you like dark history, check this out!

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Review: The 24th Hour

The 24th Hour by James Patterson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The 24th Hour is the 24th book in the Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro.  If you've never read the series, I wouldn't start here.  You could enjoy the book just fine, and you don't need to know any previous story to understand it, but I really feel like this book is for those who have been with the series a long time.  I'm not going to spoil why exactly, but there are major life changes for some of the characters.  Some of them have been a long time coming.  

The case covered is quite interesting and involves someone with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). I could have had even more about that and how the legal system handles (or doesn't) complex mental illness. There is discussion of sexual assault if that makes anyone uncomfortable.  

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Review: Final Girls

Final Girls by Riley Sager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Final Girls by Riley Sager is more thriller than horror but still an exciting time.  I say more thriller because with a name like "Final Girls" you think this must be horror.  There are definitely horror tropes and aspects, but this isn't your typical slasher.  The chapters alternate between the present and a past experience, filling in the blanks of the main character's memory of her final girl experience.  The thing is she doesn't know if she was the final girl or the one who killed her friends.  She certainly has the temper to have done it.  It can be scary figuring out who you really are.  It is finally time to find the answer!

If you like horror films but don't want something too slashery, this is a good mix.

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Review: Women's Hotel

Women's Hotel by Daniel M. Lavery
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Full Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of Women's Hotel by Daniel M. Lavery from HarperVia via NetGalley.  The book is available now.

I was really intrigued by the premise of Women's Hotel by Daniel M. Lavery.  I have read about women's hotels in New York before.  Having grown up in a small town in the Midwest, I often wondered what it would be like to pick up and move to the big city on my own.  I would do that in my own way later, but these women were truly courageous to take such a chance.  Even the concept of women's hotels is so fascinating with their rules to keep women's virtue intact.  Although this is a fictional account about the different women living in one of the hotels, I'm sure it rings true for some who lived it.  You get an interesting array of characters, all drawn to the city for different reasons, and with varying problems and life circumstances.  I would be the woman who secretly has a cat in her room and also a hidden hot plate.  It also made me excited for my next trip to New York!  So much interesting history there to explore!  If you like history, herstory, or New York, you should check this book out. 

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Review: FantasticLand

FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven is a horror/thriller set in a theme park during a hurricane.  It has a Lord of the Flies vibe.  I enjoyed that the story is told through interviews with the people who were either in the park or involved with the park during the time of the disaster.  I know some people might think the premise is too fantastical to suspend disbelief.  However, if you have ever been in a major disaster event, you know things can go south very fast even if resources are plentiful. People can split off into factions.  Not everyone cares about the greater good.  I found the story very engaging and loved the multiple perspectives that help fill in blanks of the overall story.  Even a villain believes they are the hero of their own story....  At the same time, I think it would be kind of cool to be locked in a theme park for a few days (under better circumstances!).  I should be careful what I wish for.

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