December reading was entirely thriller/suspense/mystery (if you don't count the one book I read on starting a baby on solids), and honestly that is a pretty ideal kind of reading month for me. I love the twists and turns of suspense books, almost nothing holds my attention better, so it was pretty much a four-star month. 

Four Stars

The Christmas Murder Game by Alexandra Benedict
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A holiday read, but make it murder-y. Lily is called back to her family's estate for the annual holiday game, but this time her aunt's been murdered and has left a cryptic note for Lily to help her solve the case. I enjoyed this book for the most part, but I felt like the end was a little bit rushed and there were a couple of dots that I was a bit confused about the way they were connected. I'd probably have given it 3.5 stars, but rounded up because overall I still enjoyed a solid holiday murder mystery.

Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Still really enjoying the Kate Burkholder books by Linda Castillo. This is the second book in the series and follows Kate and her team of police officers as they investigate the murder of an entire Amish family. I tore through this book just as quickly as the first one, and enjoyed seeing each of the characters develop. I already have the third book in the series from the library and I can't wait to start it.

Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Continuing to enjoy these thrillers set in Ohio Amish country. In the most recent story, Amish families are the targets of hate crimes and things quickly seem to escalate when an Amish mother father and uncle are murdered on their farm. Kate and her team work quickly to uncover who is targeting the Amish population.

Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've only ever read Sarah Pekkanen when she's writing with Greer Hendricks, so it was fun to read one of her solo books. Thoroughly enjoyed this thriller about a mother and daughter and their mysterious lives. As Catherine graduates college and prepares to move to Baltimore, her mother begins showing signs of early onset Alzheimer's. Catherine tables her move to stay close to her mother, but then realizes everything is not as it seems. The book flips back and forth between Catherine and Ruth's perspectives and you begin to learn more about Ruth's early life and why she's never stayed in one place for very long.

Simply Lies by David Baldacci
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's been a while since I've read a Baldacci book, but I stumbled upon this at the library and got to meet a new character he introduced -- Mickey Gibson -- a former cop, single mom to two kids who currently works on digital asset recovery. Because of her expertise tracking down criminals on the dark web, she gets pulled into a murder of a former mob accountant. I enjoyed this thriller and both of the two female main characters trying to crack this case, despite very different motivations.

Three Stars

Rogue Justice by Stacey Abrams
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this more than the first Avery Keene book, though there was a lot going on and I couldn’t remember all the details from the first book that seemed important in this book. This plot wasn’t quite as technical as book 1, but I do wish it was a bit more standalone.

View all my reviews