Cover Image: Bad Memory

Bad Memory

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Member Reviews

California has not executed a prisoner since 2006, and a woman has not met her end in the death chamber since 1964. But this is about to change – after more than 20 years on death row Rue Hunter must pay for a brutal double murder.

Rue
Still, after all these years, her dream is the same. After confessing to the double murder, she has lived with her deed in the confines of her six-by-eleven-foot cell. Now though, at the point of facing the finality of her death sentence, she wishes she could remember the actual deed of plunging a knife into the bodies of the people she loved most. Her dream brings her to the edge of Devil’s Peak – but she was high, and the disconnect between the vivid image of the man in a plaid shirt and her blood-soaked dress keeps haunting her.

Rose
Hundred Acres has not seen her since her sister’s trial, but now Rose returns to her childhood town. She feels responsible for Rue’s destroyed life and wants to fix it. With her life’s savings in her handbag, she hopes to persuade the newly appointed investigator to find any new evidence in Rue’s favour. Rue is no killer, even though the town was quick to accuse the disturbed teenager.

Jessica
It is not her choice to be stuck in the sleepy community of Hundred Acres, sixty miles north of LA. With her peroxided blonde hair and brightly tattooed arm, she is not a regular cop. Rose Hunter’s thick wad of cash prompts Jessica to go through the motions of looking over the evidence – everyone knows that Rue Hunter is guilty. However, she is intrigued by Rue’s dream and its mismatch to the evidence file. When she realises that some evidence has been omitted from the file, she is drawn into the case.

Lisa Gray’s novel is a detailed narrative of the intrigue and drama around a crime investigation. Her depiction of small-town community life and the ripple effect of a brutal act will keep the reader engaged.

Ange

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

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Good to catch up with these characters in another complex mystery.Lots of red herrings in a really good plot.

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This is book 2 in the Jesica Shaw series. While it’s not really necessary to have read the first book in the series, it does help provide some background on Jessica as a person.
‘Bad Memory’ has Jessica living and working in a small town in California, trying to her hours done in order to get her private investigator license in the state. She’s doing better than she was in book 1. She has a new boyfriend, an ok job and is kind of fitting into the town.
One night while closing up the office Jessica is approached by the sister of a death row inmate who asks for her help. Rue Hunter was convicted of killing her two best friends almost 30 years ago and is due to be executed within weeks. Rue has memory issues and doesn’t remember exactly what happened the night her friends were killed.
Both Rue and her sister Rose just want to find out the truth of what happened the night of the murders, whatever that truth may be.
But when Jessica starts digging into what happened the night of the murders she begins to discover inconsistencies between the evidence and what everyone believes happened that night. And there are people in town who don’t want Jessica to discover the truth and will stop at nothing to make sure she doesn’t get to expose it.
I love a good mystery/thriller and ‘Bad Memory’ didn’t disappoint. It had me guessing right up until the end. Can’t wait to read more books featuring Jessica Shaw. 4 Stars

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This started out well, but as I read on I got bored.I'm not sure why it didn't hold my interest. Sorry.

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Bad Memory
by Lisa Gray
Amazon Pubilishing UK
This is book 2 in the Jessica Shaw Series (the first book was InThin Air) was a great read.

I have read and enjoyed the writing style of Lisa Gray many times, and looked forwarded to reading this book. The first book I have read.
Jessica as a PI gets involved in the case of Rue Hunter. Rue Hunter confessed to a double murder, and site on death row waiting for her execution date. Her sister hires Jessica to find out what truly happened 30 yrs. ago.
The story line was great. The caracter building was great. The writing was top no he notch.this would be a great beach read or just because you love the authors writing as I do. I'd have to say book one was a solid 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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An interesting murder mystery…

This is the second book in the Jessica Shaw series that can be read as a stand-alone.

Private Investigator Jessica Shaw is at a transitional point in her life, not wanting to return to New York State where she’s licensed she’s temporarily working for a small California detective agency in Hundred Acres while she waits to be licensed in the state. The assignments are routine but when her boss is out of the office a case comes in that intrigues her and she takes it, she needs the challenge.

Returning to the town she grew up in, Rose Dalton, the sister of a convicted murderer wants Jessica to look at her sister’s case. Thirty years ago the teenage Rue Hunter confessed to killing two of her friends and is scheduled to be executed in a week. Yet Rue isn’t sure that she’s guilty having no memory of the fatal act. Memories can be tricky, the mind can hide things to protect us from what it cannot cope with. Could that be the reason why there is vagueness in recollection or were certain drugs involved that can affect memory? It won’t be the first time Jessica has investigated years-old cold cases but can she find answers in the short timeframe? The clock is ticking down and this small town has dark secrets that certain people don’t want to see the light of day, Jessica’s poking soon rattles someone’s cage. Rue might not remember the fateful events that landed her in prison but someone does and they’ll do anything to protect themselves.

Having recently gone through much in her personal life Jessica was an intriguing character, events that occurred previously are alluded to here, and she’s mentally and emotionally processing a lot, this case was a needed distraction. Jessica’s a strong, intelligent, determined woman who is also very human in her flaws, she learns about herself as she continues to grow. This reader really liked where she headed at the end. The storyline was an interesting murder mystery that kept this reader engaged throughout and had more than one point of view. This was a good follow up to the first book in the series though I did like that one better and I do look forward to Jessica’s next undertaking.

An advanced reading copy was obtained from the publisher via NetGalley.

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I never read Thin Air, Lisa Grays first book featuring P.I. Jessica Shaw , but I intend to. I would like to know more about Jessica's life as she is a brilliant character. Bad Memory is an excellent read. It's got plenty of twists that kept me guessing. I didn't realise who had done what to who until the ending. Looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

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I voluntarily read this ARC for an honest review - All thoughts and opinions are mine

This is a first time author for me and this is part of a series. However, I don't feel I've missed out on anything
Really really enjoyed this - would love to read the others in the series

I found this well written, great characters and plot - lots of unpredictable twists - kept me on the edge of my seat - couldn't put this down - had to know what happened next


A great read - highly recommend

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I found the first 50% to be quite dull and predictable. As the whole premise is based around a woman on death row being proven innocent, it's fairly obvious what direction the book is going to move in, which spoiled it for me. I loved how we were given more information by POV from the past and how these linked well with what was currently happening in the text. Overall it was okay, but I thought it was quite similar to other books that I have read within this genre.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

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This. Is the second book in the Jessica Shaw series.
Synopsis;
Jessica arrives at a seemingly sleepy remote town called Hundred Acres and thanks to the help of a friend, Detective Pryce, she starts a new job in the small detective office in the town. She is asked by a new client called Rose Dalton to look in to a crime that took place 30 years ago which left her sister Rue Hunter incarcerated for the murders of her boyfriend Lucas and her best friend Megan. Rue is due to be executed In a week's time for the murders so there is huge pressure to make progress quickly but Jessica is intrigued and keen to take on a case that doesn't involve marital desputes, and agrees to help.

I really enjoyed this book. While the story was somewhat far fetched in places (it turns a bit 'Midsummer Murders' at some points, leaving you wondering how much crime can really happen in one small town!) the story did unfold quickly. Unlike other crime stories where action doesn't take place until half way through the book, Gray had the story developing from the first chapter so it flowed really well and had me gripped. The story is told from various character points of view as well as from different time periods so there was no question left unanswered which I loved - Gray tied it all together really well. The central character is also flawed which makes her a lot more relatable - she clearly comes with baggage and isn't physically as strong as other hero characters in similar novels.

I can't wait to read the first book in the series and also see where Jessica Shaw ends up next! A huge thanks to #negalley for sending me a copy. #badmemory #lisagray

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This was an enjoyable procedural with an interesting plot regarding a death row inmate. I do not like predictable books and this one definitely had twists and turns. I enjoyed the character of Jessica Shaw and look forward to reading more about her.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK, the author, and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Great mystery. Kept me guessing throughout. Was very unpredictable!
Jessica moved to Hundred Acres, California a few years ago to forget her past. She is working as a PI for a local man. Jessica gets an offer from a former resident of Hundred Acres, Rose, to look into the death of two local teenagers, Lucas and Megan, whom her sister, Rue, has spent the past 30 years in jail for killing and is about to be executed. The problem is that Rue confessed to the murders, the weapon was found in her room, and she was found the night of the murder covered in Lucas and Megan's blood. So could she be innocent? Locals aren't happy that Jessica is poking around in something they all want forgotten. But, what Jessica uncovers will shock everyone, including the reader!!

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This book took me awhile to get into. I almost felt like I needed to go re read the first book in the series to catch myself back up. I thought it was a little confusing how she was in a new town and had been there for several months and the book talked like I should already know this. But it wasn't mentioned in the previous book. Needless to say I was LOST for a good long while trying to keep up, but I did eventually hita Rhythm and enjoyed the book. I don't' think it was as good as the first book, but that was a hard one to top! I am looking forward to book 3 in this series. I hope it involves her quitting smoking. :)

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This is the second book in the Jessica Shaw series and can be read as a stand-alone. Lisa Gray does a great job at providing contextual information relevant to characterization as she continues to develop her main character, Jessica. While some of the narrative held familiarity and was overly foreshadowed, it did not impact the overall story line or feel of the book. A modest read. More in line with a mystery/police-procedural than a suspense/thriller. 4 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC, which I read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own

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Thanks to Netgally and Amazon Publishing UK for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Private investigator, Jessica Shaw is approached by Rose, a woman whose sister, Rue, is on death row and going to be executed for a double murder she supposedly committed over 30 years ago when she was 17. Rose wants Jessica to take one last look at the case and see if there is any way to clear Rue before her execution.

I love a good detective story with an investigation that keeps turning up new info until the truth finally comes to light. I thought this book was great. It was a good procedural and it had some suspense and tension. I read and enjoyed the first Jessica Shaw book and I liked this one even better. I like the Jessica and Pryce characters and I like the author's writing style. I will definitely be reading more of this series.

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Thank you to Net Galley for making this book available to read. I read the first book through Amazon and liked it but didn't love it. I really liked the characters and decided to give it another chance as it was a debut book for the author.
I have seen quite a few other readers say that they liked the first book better than this one but I am in the opposite corner. I really enjoyed this one. Some of the 'mysteries' are a bit obvious but not the why in most cases.
I like that it seems as if the stories that Jessica will be involved with will take place in different but similar settings. I liked how it wrapped up and will definitely look for the next book in the series in a few months.

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What an incredible story! Murder mystery novels are my absolutely favourite of all book genres, if they are done right! Recently, I have been disappointed with the novels I have read in this genre that have been recommended to me, but when I accepted this ARC on NetGalley, I had no idea that I would be reading a book that would keep me on the edge of my (car)seat until the very last page. I read this book whilst on a journey to Birmingham, and I didn’t even notice the time passing, as my nose was fully lodged in my kindle!

When I’m reading a book, I love a fast pace, and the short time limit within the novel kept this book fast-paced and continuously built suspense. I usually don’t like flashbacks in novels as I feel that they can sometimes slow the pace of the book down and they can make the book disjointed and detached. However, the use of flashbacks by Lisa Gray did not hinder the progress of the book, but enhanced it. They provided vital information that was essential for the ending.

The twists throughout kept me guessing and changing my mind over who I believe had done it. I was wrong at every turn and I loved it. I hate it when a book is too predictable, as to me, it seems like a waste of time reading it. What is the point in reading a book when you already know the ending! When I went back and reread the book for a second time, knowing the end result, I could see how every bit of information, no matter how small and insignificant they seemed when I first read it, pieced together. It really is a spectacularly written novel.

I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone who is looking for a brilliant murder mystery that will suck them in completely. I had a severe case of the book blues after finishing this novel. Knowing that I couldn’t reread it without knowing the ending again was really upsetting as it was so incredible.

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My second encounter with Jessica Shaw, and unusually fascinating story line which really keeps the reader guessing to the very end. It begins with a double murder from 30 years previously. Jessicas skill and determination gradually brings the truth to light.

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Private investigator Jessica Shaw is leading a quiet life in a Californian desert community, where she spends her days working low-level cases. But when a former resident asks Jessica to help her sister, Rue Hunter—a convicted murderer whose execution is days away—Jessica can’t resist the offer.

Rue doesn't remember what happened the night two high school students were killed thirty years ago, but everybody in town is certain she’s guilty. As Jessica looks for answers, she finds that local rumors point one way and evidence points another. And nobody wants to face the truth. Meanwhile, Jessica can’t shake the feeling that someone is stalking her—now more than ever, she knows she can’t trust anyone.

As Jessica digs deeper, she encounters local secrets in unlikely places—including the police department itself. But the clock is ticking, and Jessica must find the truth fast—or Rue’s bad memory may be the death of them both.

I had a great time reading this book and now I am looking forward to reading more books by the same author. Many many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to this eARC.

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This book was just ok for me. Good premise but a little bit to easy to work out but a good ending redeemed it so 3 stars from me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

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