Hello, hello!  Tomorrow is Halloween, so guess what that makes this post!  Yup.  Welcome to October's book review.  This month, I decided to try something a little darker, set on an island off of Maine.  It's called Black Rock Bay and it's by Brianna Labuskes.  It was released yesterday (October 29th), so of course I got an ARC.  Therefore, I must thank NetGalley and the publisher, Thomas and Mercer (an imprint of Amazon Publishing), for giving me access to the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.  Now, let's get onto the fun part.

Black Rock Bay follows Mia and her newest detective partner, Izzy, as they get sent to Mia's old home in order to investigate a suspicious death.  It's an unusual assignment since they handle cold cases, but the islanders are secretive and only warm up to their own.  Granted, Mia hasn't been back in fifteen years due to a mysterious suicide attempt gone wrong, but her boss hopes being born and raised there will earn her some good will.  As Mia and Izzy dig into the suspicious death, they uncover something far more sinister than the average murder and it takes Mia right back to the time of her life she most wants to forget.

Sounds cool, right?  And it is, to a point.  I think I'm just going to jump right into my issues with the story.  The plot is interesting and plausible, but at the end there are a few loose ends that are never adequately explained.  Normally, this wouldn't be so bad, but it affects the believability of key parts of the story.  For instance, why is Ellen so easily manipulated?  Yes, people in trouble do weird things, but we never really get to know her motivation which makes her flat and seem like she was added specifically as a tool for the baddie.  But my biggest issue was what Sammy did.  He had absolutely no legitimate reason for that.  And the excuse we get was a vague mention that the baddie might have had something on him.  It was a really weak spot that made the whole story less believable.  And it was a twist that was completely unnecessary.  Even the author couldn't come up with a better explanation than "psychopaths do things for shits and giggles."  Like, yeah, but this is fiction.  There needs to be a reason for all the major plot points or things start to fall apart.

That being said, I really liked the core characters.  Mia was strong and a good lead.  She had her own issues to face, but fought against them until she absolutely had to deal with them.  Izzy was a nice foil, but she could have been more.  Lacey was a fun character that was a little hard to read.  And Cash was a bit neurotic.  I'm not entirely convinced he was supposed to be, but it made him more interesting.  The whole reclusive islander thing worked really well.  Izzy's ostracization was entirely believable.  No one was overtly rude to her, but they effectively shut her out.  That dynamic was probably my favorite part of this book.  And Izzy breaking down barriers with some of the islanders was artfully done.

The writing itself flowed nicely and made for an easy read.  It was interesting how the point of view swapped back and forth between Mia and Izzy; however, the narrative voice never really changed enough to differentiate the two, so if I didn't note who each chapter was focused on (it tells you at the beginning of each chapter), I admit I got confused.

Ultimately, I found Black Rock Bay to be so-so.  It's not bad.  In fact, the beginning is pretty good.  But it doesn't hold up.  It's not something I'll read again and it doesn't make me want to hunt down other books by the author.

Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars.  Probably closer to 2.5 if I'm being completely honest.  It just didn't work for me, but maybe you'll like it.

Have you ever been hooked at Prologue of a book? I am going to come clean and tell you I haven't, or at least I cannot remember a book which hooked me in the prologue. This book had me at prologue!

Detective Mia Hart comes back to her hometown, St. Lucy's, after she is assigned a case of a body of a journalist, which has fished out on the bay, accompanied by an assistant, Izzy Santiago. Fifteen years ago, Mia has lost two of her close friends on a deadly night in the town lighthouse and she has come out with scars, broken, and had left the town never to return. Various rumours are in the air even after fifteen years about what they call it as 'Suicide Pact'. Now, she has to uncover the web of secrets and complete the puzzle whose pieces has been thrown askew. She is torn between solving the case she is assigned and the one that happened that night fifteen years ago...

The moment I read half of the prologue, it gave out serious "The Sinner' vibes. And y'all know how I am when it comes to a fine psychological thriller! And the whole scenario reminded me of Stieg Larson's " The Girl With A Dragon Tattoo'. One page into the book and I am tangled in the mystery while the love for it blooms in my heart. What I loved about this book is that I literally had a fresh glimpse of the psychological thrillers. As you know, when one reads more of a certain genre, one gets accustomed to it and they all seem all the same. (Oh wait, you just revealed the killer on page 300? But I knew who it was on page 3!) This book, though, kept me engrossed and wretched my mind because I couldn't figure out who it was! It turned out to be a thriller which made me experience thriller with all new eyes.

Every character has been meticulously constructed and mahn, I wanted a certain character to be alive, you know (don't wanna spoil it). I loved the two polarities, completely in sync together but yet, with opposing viewpoints. I loved the calmness Mia has taken over because that just made her character attractive. Completely binge-worthy, riveting, fast-paced, thought-wrenching, brilliant piece of art, narrated by Mia and Izzy, this book takes you on an incredibly icy (no pun intended) journey!

I loved the way Labuskes writes. There is something about it which makes the experience more vivid and chilly (again, no pun intended.) Whatever she is writing next, I am putting my money on it!

I just freakin' love this book and hope to see it on screen someday! Totally the best psychological thriller I read this year!

Recommended: Just get it, already, will you! And, of course, there are tons of trigger warning.

When the tragedy of her past collides with her current case, Detective Mia Hart has to do the one thing she swore never to do--return to Saint Lucy's Island and Black Rock Bay. As Mia and her partner Izzy investigate a death that looks increasingly like murder, ties to the events of a summer 15 years ago keep cropping up. How can a devastating night years ago as teenagers be tied to this recent murder? Who can the detectives believe on this tight-knit island? When a winter storm threatens to trap them on the island, can they stay a step ahead of a killer willing to do anything to keep a secret?

This was a fast-paced mystery thriller told in two viewpoints. Mia, the former islander knows how to talk to the people of St Lucy's but can also keep her own secrets.. Izzy, the outsider, ask the questions no one thinks to ask. The author did a good job with the setting, making you feel the winter cold on an isolated island. The ongoing themes of everyone lies and deception led to some great twists. 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Atmospheric and at times brooding, this mystery is unique in how it draws the reader into understanding how different life on an isolated island located off the coast of Maine can truly be.

Thoughts:
There was something a little different in this detective story than some of others I’ve recently read. First, it takes place on a remote island off of Maine. Winter is setting in and opportunities to leave the island for the mainland are not always available. To make matters even more difficult, wifi availability is sketchy and hinders communication for the detectives when they need information from the mainland. Second, the islanders are deeply impacted and probably even a bit scarred by the island’s remoteness. Not only are Individuals in the town required to play multiple roles to keep the island running, but the remoteness has taught them not to look down on those from the mainland and not be open up to new people – it is as if the mainlanders are beneath contempt. This makes for a very unusual inquiry process for the detectives as they try to get answers for their many questions.

The story opens with Detective Mia Hart and Detective Izzy Santiago arriving by a ferry in Black Rock Bay. The body of a man had been found in the water. Mia grew up on the island, but her time there ended in tragedy – suicide of two fellow teenagers, but to make matters worse she was the third individual in this potential suicide pact, but is the only one who made it out that night alive. Part of the issue for her is that her memory of the event is severely limited. The doctors said it was probably repressed memory, but there’s always the question of whether that it correct.

For about 75% of the book, you watch as Mia and Izzy try and try again to get the answers they need or try to figure out the questions they truly need to ask. The islanders only want to talk so much and even then they only really communicate with Mia since she is ‘one of them’ and not Izzy. The whole process goes slower than they’d like. However, every question they ask keeps them going in circles – is the potential suicide/murder they are investigating a stand alone and how is it related to the double suicide of the past – if it does at all.

The ending scenes (last 25%) were different than I had anticipated. I wasn’t surprised by the culprit(s?), but I was surprised at the change of pace or tone of the book in those last parts and how it all came together. It is probably no surprise that the past eventually gets learned. But as we learn the truth behind the past suicide pact event, all I could think of was how incredibly sad it really was that these lives were cut so short and so many had been hurt.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this story. I loved the atmosphere and the difficulties they had on the island as Mia and Izzy investigated. So, if you enjoy mysteries and thrillers that have a closed-in feel where the potential suspects are all stuck together (in a sense), then you may want to give this book a try.

Rating: 4 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

All I can say is wow! This book only took me a day to read because I couldn’t put it down. It’s a murder mystery and just when you think you know who the killer is, bam, you’re wrong because the evidence doesn’t add up. It’s an amazing read! I was so surprised when I found out who the killer is and I usually figure it out before I finish the book. You’ll get through the book fast because you’ll be hooked. 5 stars!

This was an interesting read, the back story of the main character, the multiple storylines all worked. I found the ending, not as satisfying as the rest of the book, so that was a bit of a disappointment. seemed like needed a stronger "why" for why they did that and a stronger shift in the main character with it

I know I'm gonna be the odd one out but this mystery/thriller had some giant plot holes which could have been overcome if the characters- notably Mia- were more fleshed out. Mia is the sole survivor of what appeared to be a suicide pact when she was 16 but now she's back on the island of St Lucy's to investigate the death of a reporter who was poking around. Her partner Izzie is newly arrived from Texas and struggling with the cold (loved Izzie.). St Lucy's is an insular place filled with residents who want to both keep secrets and gossip like crazy. The more Mia and Izzie investigate, the more they create danger for themselves. THere's a sort of gothic quality (wait for the mansion) but the atmospherics are hit and miss (great scene with Izzie trying to walk to the bar from Mia's mother's house though). This sags in the middle and is a tad overlong. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'll look for Labuskes again because I think she's got some good ideas and writes well.

Thanks Brianna Labuskes and NetGalley for the ARC!

Even though I own other books by Ms Labuskes, this is the first one I actually read. To be honest, I was not necessarily hooked for page one...but once you pass the first 30 pages or so, it definitely got more interesting. At times, I still felt like I was never going to finish it...so many characters and so many twists in the story! One thing I completely love about this story is that, unlike most books where you suspect “who’s done it”, until the very end you have no idea how it’s going to end.

This is a police procedural that's strange because of the setting, which is OK. But after a while the same questions keep churning around without any progress, and then it turns out the plot is pure nonsense. Another book that could have been good with the right basis.

This was such an amazing read that I couldn’t put it down. It went everywhere with me. To the doctors office, the dentist, the eye doctor. IT WENT ABSOLUTELY EVERYWHERE. I was so sad when it ended that I immediately went and bought more books from this author!

Mia is back on St Lucy's - the island she fled from 15 years ago after being involved in something she's tried to forget - investigating a possible murder that seems tied to that event.

Brilliant use of two person narration - Mia, an islander and Izzy, an outlander. You see all the characters through both their eyes which is great as each woman obviously perceives things differently due to their backgrounds.

Great writing that sweeps you along right up to the last paragraphs where a final twist surprises a person and leaves you with a bit of doubt in your "hero".
I enjoyed it every bit as much as her previous book "Girls of Glass". I like the surprise twist in the end of both books.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

Detective Mia Hart left St. Lucy 15 years ago and did not look back. She is a cold case detective but when a body is found by some local fishermen who happened to be investigating that fateful night she lost her two friends to suicide and almost her own life as well. She finds herself being called home which brings up painful memories but she has to do her job. As the investigation starts to heat up, she realizes that the clues don’t add up and she sets out to find out just what happened that night that has haunted her all these years. And who would want the journalist dead and why?

Mia Hart left not to long after the deaths of her friends because she felt un-welcomed in her own town. She moved on to a new place and a good career. She never thought she’d be back on the island and is overwhelmed by the memories of that night and who could blame her. It was a night that changed her forever. Her new partner know nothing of that night but soon learns a little more about her partner and also how little the town wants them there and why. But she is like a bull in a china shop and just asks the questions she wants and keeps pushing for the truth even if rubs the townspeople the wrong way and and even if makes her question her own partner. This would be the type of partner that I would like to have in my corner. And even though they are both so very different, they make for a great team.

The island of St. Lucy is completely isolated and can only be reached by a small seater plane so not many people come and go and keep to themselves and take care of their own. And they aren’t happy with Mia and Izzy poking around, they believe some things are better left alone. But the clues of the murdered journalist seemed to be linked to the suicides 15 years ago and take this pair down a rabbit hole of danger, secrets and lies of the past and present. As the story progress and the clues were laid out and I wasn’t sure if Mia memories of that night were right, even Izzy started to question her but I just had to sit back and let the pieces fall into place and how it all played into the current investigation. It was a slow burn at the beginning but sure did ramp up towards the end. When everything was revealed it was pretty shocking and the twist at the end, just made it even better.

Black Rock Bay had a great mystery that was filled with suspenseful moments, lots of questions and danger and kept me turning the pages to the final reveal. It was a fantastic psychological thriller and one that will keep you guessing.

It wwas a good autumn read. Standard mystery that connect past and present together. The plot was easy to follow and he story was quite fast paced and richwit dialouges so it was impossible to be bored. I couldn't really connect to characters, but otherwise I liked it.

What happens when you are working an homicide case in an isolated area and your partner starts to suspect you of a decades old crime? Especially when you start to suspect the same thing even though you have no memory of the incident. A psychological thriller that will keep you entranced from the first page all the way to the end that is wrought with twists, turns and no one to trust but the main character and even that is questionable! The author does an excellent job of setting up an isolated location where the locals don't trust each other, let alone outsiders making it even harder for the detectives to work the case and just when you think you have it figured out a twist in the story comes along that sets everything on its side again so you have to start rethinking your suspect pool. I am absolutely thrilled to have stumbled over this author and can't wait to see what else they have written!

Detective Mia Hart and her partner Izzy Santiago are sent to investigate a death on the island where Mia grew up. Mia is reluctant to return to the place where two of her friends died. Her memory of what happened all those years ago is foggy. She knows she survived a suicide attempt and her two friends didn’t. As the two detectives investigate the current death, it begins to look like the past and the present death are linked and solving one will solve the other.

This is a decent read and keeps the reader engaged until the end. That being said, I did still feel that it dragged in spots and would have been better if it was tightened up with less repetition. I would still recommend this book because it does keep you turning pages to find out what’s going to happen next.

This is my first book to read by this author so I went into it a bit blind but I was pleasantly surprised. This thriller follows Mia and Izzy who are investigating the death of a journalist which connects to something that happened in Mia's past. In order to learn the truth of this new present day mystery we must delve into the past of Mia's life. This book was a smooth moving book that was very well written. I will be checking out more of the author's books.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, and to NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a decent thriller with very likeable female lead characters. The author really delivered on the atmospheric level, the cold and stormy winter weather, and the isolation of the island the book is set on, almost waft out through the pages. My only beef is that the story is very long and drawn-out, to the point where I was tempted to skim to finally get to the point where things were moving ahead.

I’ve received this book from Netgalley, the author and it’s publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and are completely unbiased.

This book was a fantastic read, it draws you in until the very end. So many secrets for such a small, gothic island. I thought it was a little challenging getting to know the characters- there are quite a few.

I also enjoyed the layout, past & present time which weaves together perfectly. 4.5 stars for me

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

To me, this book has a slight gothic vibe. An island inhabited most of the year by locals, a suicide from years ago of two young people, almost three and now a possible suicide of a reporter looking for a story. Clues seem to be shrouded by mist as no one really wants to talk to former local resident Detective Mia Hart and her partner Isabel Santiago. Mia was the almost suicide and is still unable to remember exactly what happened that fateful night. The reporter left a clue “It wasn’t suicide”. Was he talking about his own death or the death of the two young people from years ago? Mia has returned to St. Lucy’s Island as she and Izzy keep searching for answers…answers that may lead to their own deaths. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

4 stars
I liked the way the story weaved between two different time periods of life on St Lucy's and I thought that the writing was really well done. I, too, became confused and frustrated by the secrecy of the locals on the island. As a reader, you usually try and figure out who the killer is, and the inability to trust what any of the characters were saying, including one of the main characters, added to the intrigue and the mystery of this story. I was unable to work out what had happened and it added an air of authenticity to both the story and the characters.

One small issue for me was that there are many characters, despite being set on a small island. I found it difficult to remember who everyone was at times and therefore could not always immediately pinpoint the relevance of them to the story. However, I'm sure many would not have this same difficulty and I still really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.