dead - No Apology Book Reviews

Interview with Lisa Childs (Only the Dead Within, The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise, Personal Security)

July 18, 2025

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Only The Dead Within, The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise, and Personal Security by Lisa Childs shows her ability to write in multiple genres. These three recent books show how diverse Childs is with her writing style because she writes thrillers, mysteries, and family-oriented stories. Only the Dead Within is the thriller, Personal Security the mystery, and The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise the family story. Only The Dead Within tells the story of Child Protective Services Investigator …

Review Roundup Summer 2025 – Part 1

June 25, 2025

A roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in early summer 2025. Beware of spoilers! Title: When We Had Forever Author: Shaylin Gandhi Series: n/a Thanks to Shaylin Gandhi, Harlequin Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately I didn’t get to it before time was up; I borrowed an ebook copy from the library, so I can review the story but not the narration. Apologies. I want …

Finlay Donovan series by Elle Cosimano

May 13, 2025

Thanks so much to Elle Cosimano, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read free copies of the entire series to date! #1 Title: Finlay Donovan Is Killing It Loved this! A brilliantly written novel. The mystery had so many layers; every time I thought we’d finally figured it out, a plot twist would peel back another layer. Involving the Russian mob might be rather trite, but it really took things up a notch. I love …

Review Roundup Spring 2024

August 5, 2024March 18, 2024

A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Spring 2024. Beware of spoilers! Sorry these first two are duds. Title: Lady Charlotte Always Gets Her Man Author: Violet Marsh Series: n/a Thank you to Violet Marsh, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudio ARC in exchange for an honest review. Soooo in the approval email, there was a bolded paragraph about how much they wanted feedback on the audio production in …

Review Roundup Winter ’23-’24

February 16, 2024December 30, 2023

A quick little roundup of several smaller reviews I wrote in Winter 2023 – 2024. Beware of spoilers! Title: Death by Demo Author: Callie Carpenter Series: Home Renovation Mystery #1 Much thanks to Callie Carpenter, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for allowing me to listen to a free eaudiobook in exchange for an honest review. This book was great! Jaime was likeable and sympathetic, and I loved her conversations with Demo. I enjoyed watching her outsmart her adversaries. Also the lumber …

Interview with Joanna Schaffhausen (Dead and Gone)

August 17, 2023

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper Dead and Gone by Joanna Schaffhausen brings back popular police detective Annalisa Vega. In this latest installment there are not one but five crimes to solve. Because she is such an excellent author, readers do not get confused at all as to what is happening, and which crime is being focused on in a particular chapter. The plot has Annalisa Vega being pulled in by her boss, Commander Zimmer, to investigate the death of …

Dead of Winter by Darcy Coates

July 7, 2023

Title: Dead of Winter Author: Darcy Coates Series: n/a unsympathetic lead Thanks to Darcy Coates, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. This was an okay thriller, though the premise has been done. My chief complaints are the abrupt beginning and ending as well as the length/lack of energy, all of which relates to the main problem, a lack of sympathy for the lead character. So we start …

The Twisted Dead by Darcy Coates

January 5, 2023

Title: The Twisted Dead Author: Darcy Coates Series: Gravekeeper #3 Much thanks to Darcy Coates, Sourcebooks/Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. I ADORE this series. So far I like each book better than the last. I listened to the first two before reading Twisted just to refresh my memory. While Coates does an excellent job recapping and briefly explaining anything you need to know from previous books, …

Interview with Angela Marsons (First Blood and Play Dead)

September 10, 2022

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper First Blood and Play Dead are two books just released by Angela Marsons. Those who are squeamish might want to bypass certain scenes because both books do have the victims tortured. These police procedurals allow readers to follow the clues and as they get brief glimpses of the killer’s mindset. Readers will enjoy getting to know the main character, DI Kim Stone. She hates to deal with people, is impatient, and loves to ride …

Interview with Rosemary Simpson (The Dead Cry Justice)

December 25, 2021

Article and Interview by Elise Cooper The Dead Cry Justice by Rosemary Simpson always involves a mystery, returning characters, and a social issue during the Gilded Age. This historical novel delves into a very tough and disturbing topic. But Simpson is such a gifted author and writes in a manner that does not go over the top. She realizes a line should not be crossed, leaving the subject matter up to the reader’s imagination. The story opens with the main …