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Christina McDonald
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Category: Book reviews

Book reviews

Welcome to my little book nook, where I keep my book reviews. I only review books that I rate 4* or 5*, because why would I waste time on books I don’t enjoy? Besides, my mama taught me, ‘If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothin’ at all’.

Book reviews

Dead Wind by Tessa Wegert

by Christina McDonald September 26, 2023 0 comments

Dead Wind by Tessa Wegert My rating: 5 of 5 stars The third in the series, Dead Wind is intoxicatingly original, tense, and elegant. And with a kick-ass, formidable investigator in Shana Merchant, the book is impossible to put down. When Shana discovers she knows the latest victim, it drives her even more. How personal…

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Book reviews

Deeper Than the Dead (Vera Boyett #1) by Debra Webb

by Christina McDonald September 12, 2023 0 comments

Deeper Than the Dead by Debra Webb My rating: 5 of 5 stars Expertly plotted and whip-smart, Deeper Than The Dead is an exceedingly clever crime thriller filled with secrets, betrayals, and complex characters. Webb manages to hit that sweet spot between family drama and police procedural. This one is sure to be a hit…

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Book reviews

The Guest by BA Paris

by Christina McDonald September 7, 2023 0 comments

The Guest by B.A. Paris An expertly woven domestic drama that follows Iris and Gabriel, who, upon returning from a much-needed vacation, arrive home to find their friend, Laure, in their house. Laure has left her husband after learning of a devastating affair and a secret child, and she opts to stay with Iris and…

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Book reviews

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

by Christina McDonald September 6, 2023 0 comments

The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware My rating: 5 of 5 stars How have I missed Ruth Ware for so long? The Turn of the Key is gothic, creepy, sinister, and absolutely unputdownable. Rowan Caine comes across an ad for a live-in nannying post, with a huge salary. It’s a dream come true.…

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Book reviews

Where the Dead Sleep by Joshua Moehling

by Christina McDonald September 6, 2023 0 comments

Where the Dead Sleep by Joshua Moehling My rating: 5 of 5 stars A gritty, well-written police procedural that had me gripped from the very first page. Our protagonist is Ben Packard, acting sheriff, a relatable, intriguing man who must balance his public-facing job with his private life as a gay man. When someone is…

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Book reviews

The Retreat by Sarah Pearse

by Christina McDonald September 6, 2023 0 comments

The Retreat by Sarah Pearse The follow-up to The Sanatorium (which I highly recommend!), The Retreat is an Agatha-esque delight. While there is a slight element of the formulaic about it – a unique destination with a dark past – it’s cleverly done and quite entertaining. With plenty of murders, an island with a dark…

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Book reviews

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

by Christina McDonald September 6, 2023 0 comments

The Lost Man by Jane Harper My rating: 5 of 5 stars The more I read of Jane Harper, the more I love her writing. Set against the bleak and dangerous Australian outback, The Lost Man is a beautiful story of loneliness, grief and redemption. The scene opens on a gruesome death. Cam, the good…

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Book reviews

It Takes Monsters by Mandy McHugh

by Christina McDonald August 15, 2023 0 comments

It Takes Monsters by Mandy McHugh My rating: 5 of 5 stars A clever and pacey thriller, McHugh delivers a tantalizing story about a dysfunctional marriage, and what happens when one decides to take matters into their own hands. Claws out, no-holds barred, this one is urgent, sinister, and sharp as a knife. View all…

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Book reviews

Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez

by Christina McDonald July 10, 2023 0 comments

Before She Finds Me by Heather Chavez My rating: 5 of 5 stars An electric, atmospheric ride with complex, intriguing female leads, Before She Finds Me is action-packed and intricately plotted. The plot is original and impossible to predict, about a husband/wife assassin team and a contract killing that goes wrong. A wild and sinister…

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Book reviews

The Dry - Jane Harper

by Christina McDonald July 4, 2023 0 comments

The Dry by Jane Harper My rating: 5 of 5 stars An atmospheric whodunit that is perfectly balanced between police procedural and murder mystery, the question of whether Luke murdered his family kept me glued to the pages, but the real strength of the story comes in the depth and beauty of each character. Aaron…

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Book reviews

The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor

by Christina McDonald July 3, 2023 0 comments

The Burning Girls by C.J. Tudor My rating: 5 of 5 stars How am I so late to the party on this one? The Burning Girls is AMAZING! I absolutely loved both Jack and Flo. In fact, I loved Jack so much, I’d be interested in a sequel. She’s a flawed but strong protagonist, a…

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Book reviews

What Remains by Wendy Walker

by Christina McDonald June 27, 2023 0 comments

What Remains by Wendy Walker My rating: 5 of 5 stars What Remains is the story of Elise Sutton, a cop whose entire life is disrupted when she makes a decision to take a person’s life in order to save another’s. But she never imagined that saving one life could be the start of a…

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About Christina

christina mcdonald
Christina McDonald is the USA Today bestselling author of the Jess Lambert series, Do No Harm, Behind Every Lie and The Night Olivia Fell (Simon & Schuster/Gallery Books), which has been optioned for television by a major Hollywood studio.

Books

the stranger at black lake


what lies in darkness


these still black waters


do no harm


do no harm


do no harm

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Christina McDonald
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