Mortom by Erik Therme

 

Description
Andy Crowl barely knew his recently deceased cousin, Craig Moore, so he’s especially surprised to be named as the sole beneficiary in Craig’s will. Not that there’s much to inherit: just an empty bank account and a run-down house.

Once Andy arrives in the town of Mortom, however, he’s drawn into his puzzle-obsessed cousin’s true legacy: a twisted and ominous treasure hunt. Beckoned by macabre clues of dead rats and cemetery keys, Andy jumps into the game, hoping to discover untold wealth. But unsavory secrets—and unanswered questions about Craig’s untimely demise—arise at every turn, leading Andy to wonder if he’s playing the game…or if the game is playing him.

Something’s rotten in Mortom. And this dead man’s game might not be all that Andy is doomed to lose.


Andy and his sister arrive in Mortom shortly after their cousin Craig's untimely death. For some unknown reason Crag has left everything to Andy even though they were not particularly close. In fact they have not even seen each other in years. The death itself has been ruled accidental, however Craig did seem to have an enemy in town. Most people just thought he was weird, odd voice, odd mannerisms, riding around on his moped. One person in particular really had it out for him though, and may have had reason to do him harm.  There is not much in the house worth picking through, but there does seem to be some strange goings on. A dead rat holds the first key to this mystery. Andy becomes more and more obsessed with unraveling these clues, while his sister just wants to pay her respects to their aunt and get back home. Things take a sinister turn as more clues are unraveled.
This was a fast paced and highly suspenseful read. 4 out of 5 stars from me

I received a complimentary copy for review

Fractured by Catherine McKenzie

Description
Julie Prentice and her family move across the country to the idyllic Mount Adams district of Cincinnati, hoping to evade the stalker who’s been terrorizing them ever since the publication of her bestselling novel, The Murder Game. Since Julie doesn’t know anyone in her new town, when she meets her neighbor John Dunbar, their instant connection brings measured hope for a new beginning. But she never imagines that a simple, benign conversation with him could set her life spinning so far off course.

After a series of misunderstandings, Julie and her family become the target of increasingly unsettling harassment. Has Julie’s stalker found her, or are her neighbors out to get her, too? As tension in the neighborhood rises, new friends turn into enemies, and the results are deadly.


"In the end we were a hurricane wind in each other's lives, though we shouldn't have been."
Have you ever driven by a picturesque, peaceful little street and thought how lovely it would be to live there? How neighborly everyone must be? How close knit? Well after reading this, I'll take city living any day, where I don't know my neighbors and they don't know me!
Julie, her husband, and their twins move to such a street. It's lovely at first, and welcoming, and there are even block parties where all the neighbors get together. Just make sure you follow Cindy's rules or you'll be sorry. Cindy fancies herself queen of the street. She oh so gently "guides" the neighbors in what is and is not allowed. Constant emails and rule updates are sent out by Cindy and heaven help you if you forget to thank her for sarcastically given welcome basket.
Julie tries to fit in with her new neighbors but eventually that becomes impossible. She has bigger fish to fry anyway what with a stalker that may or may not have found her new residence. 
As things get more heated and hostile between Julie and her neighbors I could just sense something horrific was going to happen. This made me fear turning the page, even though I was unable to put this book down til the very end. 5 out of 5 stars from me.

I received an advance copy for review.

The Family Plot by Cherie Priest

Description

Chuck Dutton built Music City Salvage with patience and expertise, stripping historic properties and reselling their bones. Inventory is running low, so he's thrilled when Augusta Withrow appears in his office offering salvage rights to her entire property. This could be a gold mine, so he assigns his daughter Dahlia to personally oversee the project.
The crew finds a handful of surprises right away. Firstly, the place is in unexpectedly good shape. And then there's the cemetery, about thirty fallen and overgrown graves dating to the early 1900s, Augusta insists that the cemetery is just a fake, a Halloween prank, so the city gives the go-ahead, the bulldozer revs up, and it turns up human remains. Augusta says she doesn't know whose body it is or how many others might be present and refuses to answer any more questions. Then she stops answering the phone.
But Dahlia's concerns about the corpse and Augusta's disappearance are overshadowed when she begins to realize that she and her crew are not alone, and they're not welcome at the Withrow estate. They have no idea how much danger they're in, but they're starting to get an idea. On the crew's third night in the house, a storm shuts down the only road to the property. The power goes out. Cell signals are iffy. There's nowhere to go and no one Dahlia can call for help, even if anyone would believe that she and her crew are being stalked by a murderous phantom. Something at the Withrow mansion is angry and lost, and this is its last chance to raise hell before the house is gone forever. And it seems to be seeking permanent company.
The Family Plot is a haunted house story for the ages-atmospheric, scary, and strange, with a modern gothic sensibility to keep it fresh and interesting-from Cherie Priest, a modern master of supernatural fiction.

I don't know if it's just me but the description (as currently given) seems a bit off.
There is indeed a Family operated salvage company given the go ahead to strip a house. The owner wants nothing to do with the contents and wants it over with as quickly as possible. When they arrive to begin work they discover some personal items and although the owner wants to see a photo album that was discovered she does not even want to step past the porch to view it.
The workers are staying in the house during this time, and strange occurrences begin to happen along with a feeling of being watched. Also some pretty freaky things happen in the water, this house is not a great place to take a shower! This was an engaging story of ghosts and buried secrets that could not stay hidden forever. 4 out of 5 stars from me.

I received an advance copy for review.

Weaving The Web: A Cold Hollow Mystery (Cold Hollow Mysteries Book 2) by Emilie J. Howard

Description
“The sun is shining, birds are chirping, and people are dying.”

Life is not always perfect in the town of Cold Hollow, but with Mayor Myrna Bradbury at the helm, it might be someday. When a batch of newly paroled convicts arrives to take up residence in the town, disappearances of longtime townsfolk begin, gruesome human remains are found, and a government inspection is looming on the horizon. Time is of the essence as Myrna and the new chief of police are thrust into an investigation the likes of which they had never imagined.

Welcome to Cold Hollow, the place where the fun never ends.


In this creepy sequel to Cold Hollow, much has changed since last we visited these odd and quirky residents, though much has gone on just as usual.  Weaving The Web picks up nearly where Cold Hollow left off. The bakery is still in full swing, Myrna is now the mayor, and an odd assortment of new residents are on their way to being rehabilitated. Well, except for that murderer who is on the loose.
Weaving The Web is a captivating read that further exposes the shocking secrets of Cold Hollow. If you enjoyed the first book you will love this one, and if you have not read the first you really should.

I received a complimentary copy for review