I read up on the story surrounding Linda Hazzard, and it’s truly horrifying that she convinced people to pay her money with the promise of healing and instead many people died from her questionable therapies. The author did a good job of shielding the reader from some of the more gruesome details, but still brought the story to life. There’s quite a bit of romance too as Stella finds herself falling for her longtime friend and chauffer. But her station in life prevents them from being together.

If you are a fan of the series, you’ll love the latest in the lineup. I always find it intriguing that the crimes and atrocities in these stories are all based on true events. Most of the time I’ve never heard of these crimes, so it’s interesting to see the authors’ take on the heartbreaking and sometimes horrifying events from the darker side of American history.  

Overall Rating:
4 stars (I liked it a lot and would definitely recommend)

Suspense Rating:
4 stars (lots of action and suspense to keep me intrigued)

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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For fans of historical fiction, true crimes, and sinister plot lines

The Gold Digger by Liz Tolsmais the latest release in the True Colors series. These stories are based on actual crimes in American history. The Gold Digger explores some strange events from LaPorte, IN in the early 1900’s, centering around Belle Gunness and some of her suspicious behaviors.  She’s a widower twice-over, and she takes out personal ads looking for a husband. But when men show up to her farm, they never heard from again. Belle’s sister, Igrid Storset, meets Nils Lindherud who is in town looking for his missing brother. Together they begin to unravel terrible secrets at the Gunness’ farm.

This story isn’t for anyone looking for a cozy mystery. The truth is strange, terrifying, and unresolved, and the author does a great job of bringing out the drama. But it’s such a twisted story to begin with. I love the author’s notes at the end of the book showing the research behind the real Belle Gunness. It’s truly a heartbreaking and horrifying situation in real life, and Liz Tolsma does a great job of bringing the details to light, but tempering it with faith and a love interest. But it’s definitely intense, creepy, and disturbing at times.

Definitely an intriguing read, and if you are a fan of this true crimes series, you’ll be taken with this one!

Overall Rating:
4 stars (I liked it a lot and would definitely recommend)

Suspense Rating:
4 stars (lots of action and suspense to keep me intrigued)

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The post The Gold Digger appeared first on Best In Suspense.

For Fans of Historical Fiction, True Crimes, and Romance Novels

Another novel in the True Color series – this one tackles The Hillsville Courthouse Massacre of 1912. Pepper Basham sets readers right into the historical setting through her attention to the scenery, customs, and dialect of the times. The true crimes story spills all of the details about some feuding families in an Appalachian mountain town. A seemingly innocent kiss at a corn-shucking contests leads to a bloody massacre, with outlaws on the run and a small town thrown into the spotlight. Ava Burcham and Jeremiah Sutphin find all kinds of dangerous situations as they fall in love during tumultuous and strange times. Not everyone can be trusted, and the pair become eye-witnesses to a deadly shootout just days before their wedding.

I’ll admit that this story wasn’t my usual non-stop action and suspense kind of read. A lot of romance fans will love this one. But I did enjoy this story. The author has an amazing writing style that captures the essence of the time period. I’m a fan of the whole series, which takes little know crime stories in the history of the United States and brings them to life in the pages of a fiction novel. The Red Ribbon let me imagine the chaos of the scene of these feuding families who seem to take the law into their own hands at times. The real-life crime still isn’t resolved as it seems unclear as to who started the whole thing and whether or not some innocent people were held accountable for the crimes.

Definitely check out The Red Ribbon if you are a fan of historical fiction, true crimes, or romance novels when it releases.

Overall Rating:
4 stars (I liked it a lot and would definitely recommend)
Suspense Rating: 3 stars (some suspenseful moments)

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own

The post The Red Ribbon appeared first on Best In Suspense.

For fans of historical fiction, suspense and true crimes

The Black Midnight mixes historical fiction, romance and suspense into an intriguing novel. Anne Walters is a Pinkerton detective by day, but is secretly a British royal. She wants to live her life outside of family obligations. She gets assigned to Texas to work with Isaiah Joplin to hunt down a serial killer.  

I’m typically not a fan of the 1800’s or romance themes. But I enjoyed everything about this novel. First – the suspense. The murders in Austin, TX become linked to a series of murders in England, which eventually leads to the hunt for Jack the Ripper. Anne and Isaiah work to connect the string of murders between the two continents. Also, Anne is a female Pinkerton detective, which was rare for women during this time period, not to mention someone with a royal background. Anne takes a strong lead in this novel, as a detective and as she stands up to her family.

As far as the romance, I enjoyed Anne and Isaiah discovering their feelings for each other. Of course it falls into the forbidden love category as Anne could never marry someone who wasn’t a royal and chosen by her family. Her desire to be independent and work as a detective clashes with the desire to please her family. And Isaiah appreciates Anne’s investigation skills and sees her for so much more than the roles women of this time period traditionally held.  

I found this story intriguing from the historical aspect. I didn’t know much about Jack the Ripper, and I liked the author’s notes in the end with the research details. Kathleen Y’Barbo tacked a big topic and created a suspenseful story with heartwarming characters that will keep readers hooked until the very last page.

Overall: 5 stars (I loved it, couldn’t put it down)
Suspense: 5 stars (Non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense from start to finish)

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The post The Black Midnight appeared first on Best In Suspense.

For fans of historical fiction, true crimes, and gritty dramas

The Green Dress by Liz Tolsma is part of the True Colors series. These stories are based on actual crimes in American history, and this novel focuses on the notorious Robinson family. One by one, family members die a slow and agonizing death. Harriet Peters, caregiver to the children and friend of the family, begins to realize that it’s way too coincidental that so many people in the same family all died the same way. She invites her own doctor, Michael Wheaton, to help investigate and keep the children safe from the mysterious illness that has taken the lives of so many.

This story is creepy! I read up on the historical events, and the author did a great job of bringing this story from the pages of the past and turning it into a suspenseful and intriguing story. This novel is gritty and dark, not a light read. There is a love story that develops to lighten the mood a bit. I’m usually not a fan of stories set in the 1800’s, but the author did a lot of research and the setting just adds to the macabre and nightmarish circumstances. It’s hard to believe this is based on real life! Also, by the time you understand why the title is The Green Dress, your head will be spinning.

Definitely check this novel out, especially if you like gritty true crime stories.

Overall: 5 stars (I loved it, couldn’t put it down)
Suspense: 5 stars (Non-stop edge-of-your-seat suspense from start to finish)

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The post The Green Dress appeared first on Best In Suspense.

For fans of true crimes, historical settings, and murder mysteries

I have enjoyed the True Color series, which takes crime stories from America’s past and creates a story around the events. The Blue Cloak is set in the late 1700’s in the American frontier. Rachel Taylor’s friend Sally marries a man with questionable reputation. Rachel’s instincts are correct, and Wiley Harpe and his brother turn out to be serial killers and take Sally and several other women into the frontier. The women are mistreated while the two men randomly attacked and killed innocent bystanders. Ben Langford’s cousin is a victim of these thugs, and he heads out to track down the killers and bring justice.

The author, Shannon McNear had a big task ahead of her, as these crimes were extremely heinous and the women were abused. I did a Google search as I had never heard of the Harpe brothers, and they are credited as being some of America’s first know serial killers. The author handled the details with a lot of action happening “off-screen” but if you are sensitive to violence, be warned. Also, the setting is in the 1790’s – not my favorite time period to read, but if you are a historical fan, the author did a lot of research to bring the details of the time period to life.

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Overall Rating: 4 stars (I liked it a lot and would definitely recommend)
Suspense Rating: 4 stars (lots of action and suspense to keep me intrigued)

The post The Blue Cloak appeared first on Best In Suspense.

For Fans of Suspense, Historical Fiction, and True Crimes

This is the fourth installment in the True Color series which takes strange historical crimes and turns them into suspense-filled fiction stories. Grace Hitchcock’s The Gray Chamber focuses on a dark period in the late 1800’s surrounding the poorly run women’s lunatic asylum called Blackwell Island.

Edyth Foster’s life is about to take off. She’s set to take over her parent’s estate after their death, and she finds the love of her life. But her uncle get her falsely committed to the asylum where Edyth withstands the horrible conditions. She meets Nelly Bly, an undercover reporter, and the two try to stay alive in the asylum.

The Gray Chamber puts readers right into the middle of these historical events. I hadn’t actually heard about Nelly Bly until reading The Gray Chamber, and the story surrounding Blackwell Island is creepy in its own right. But the author adds the lovable and quirky Edyth to the plot and readers endure the heartbreaking conditions of the asylum right along side her. Edyth’s spunk challenges the societal norms of the time period with her dress and actions. She even takes up fencing, which wasn’t a thing women did in the 1800’s. Edyth isn’t the damsel in distress, which made her plight all the more harrowing as she fights for her life from inside the asylum.

The Gray Chamber is intriguing and full of suspenseful twists. Sadly, much of the elements in the story happened. If you love true crimes, this is one novel you don’t want to miss. The fast-paced action plus likable characters makes this a must read.

I received a complementary ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The post The Gray Chamber appeared first on Best In Suspense.

For fans of true crime stories, historical settings, and romantic suspense

The Yellow Lantern by Angie Dicken is another in the True Crimes series that focuses on historical crimes in America. Set in the early 1800’s, this story deals with the criminal activity of grave robbers stealing bodies in the middle of the night. The story starts off with Josephine Clayton, who gets sucked into the grave robbers’ scheme. She becomes the look-out for bodies and begins working in a mill run by Braham Taylor.

This novel started out with plenty of suspense and intrigue. It’s
an unusual topic and starts off with everyone believing Josephine to be dead.
She’s about to be operated on in the name of medical research until they
discovery that she’ still has a pulse. Once she’s rescued from certain death,
Josephine is blackmailed into finding the next body. While the story had an
intriguing premise and started off strong, it kind of dragged in the middle. I
felt like the love story took over, which seemed a little contrived. But the
ending picked up again and the story wrapped up with action and an exciting
finish. If you are a fan of historical fiction and novels with more of a
romantic backdrop, add this to your summer reading list.

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The post The Yellow Lantern appeared first on Best In Suspense.

The Pink Bonnet is part of a series of true crimes stories. Set in the 1930’s, the novel portrays the scandal with the Tennessee Children’s Home Society and Georgia Tann. Based on a true story, Tann ran an adoption scam and was kidnapping children and selling them to the highest bidder. The story focuses on Cecile Dowd, who’s daughter was given up for adoption without her consent. She hunts down her daughter with the help of attorney Percy Vance, while no one believes that Tann would do such heinous things.

The Pink Bonnet is well-written, fast paced novel, but the topic is not a happy one. If you are sensitive to stories about child abuse, steer clear. It’s hard to believe this novel is based on a true story. While I liked Cecile’s tenacity to find her daughter, the love story seemed a bit contrived at times. Also, the end seemed like it had some inconsistencies. I read a review copy so hopefully the final version will flow better. But as far as a suspenseful crime story, the plot moved fast and kept me reading and on the edge of my seat.

I received an ebook review copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The post The Pink Bonnet appeared first on Best In Suspense.

Based on the mystery surrounding one of
America’s notorious killers, this story inserts you into Chicago, 1893, at the
time of the World’s Fair. Winnifred Wylde witnesses a kidnapping in the wake of
several women missing, the only problem is that no one believes her because she’s
“cried wolf” one too many times with her overactive imagination. Her father is an
inspector with the police, and assigns one of his deputies to watch Winnifred
because he knows she’ll not give up and will investigate on her own. But Jude
Thorpe is convinced Winnifred is on to something, and Winnifred gets a job working
for the infamous H.H. Holmes, trying to gain proof that he is behind the
kidnapping.

The story and setting paint an amazing tale.
I loved reading the historical setting, during the World’s Fair. The plot focuses
more on the budding romance between Winnifred and Jude, despite Winnifred being
set up with more suitable suitors. While I enjoyed this novel, I wanted more
suspense and danger, especially after reading up on the nefarious H.H.Holmes
and his horrific crimes. But I enjoyed the chemistry between Winnifred and Jude,
and the story had a lighter feel where it could have taken a much darker
approach to the crimes. This is Grace Hitchcock’s debut novel, and I’m looking
forward to reading more from her.

I received an ebook review copy of this
book through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

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