Oh my gracious! July was a good reading month. I read 16 books last month. I attribute this spike in reading to my annual teaching trip in Singapore. I had a lot of time to read during travel and in the evenings while I was on the island.
Not only did I read a ton in July, I loved most of what I read. I gave 10 books I read last month perfect grades.
My reviews of my favorite books of July follow.
I Let You Go
Jenna Gray walks away from her life and moves into a cottage as an unknown woman. But, even in her new life, Jenna can’t escape the memories of a young boy being hit by a car and the responsibility she feels for his death.
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh is like a creepy book version of the movie Sleeping with the Enemy… only the book has some twists you wouldn’t expect.
Missing Pieces
Sarah Quinlan’s husband, Jack, is haunted by the death of his mother when he was a teenager. Sarah and Jack return to Penny Gate, Iowa, when another accident happens at the family’s ranch. It isn’t long before Sarah begins to wonder if the murder and the “accident” have anything in common and why all of the women in Jack’s life seem targeted. Is her husband capable of murder? Does she really know him at all?
Missing Pieces by Heather Gudenkauf was a page turner with some plot surprises.
Don’t You Cry
Quinn Collins isn’t sure what to do when her roommate, Ester Vaughan, doesn’t come home. So she does what most women in her position probably would do… she searches Ester’s room for clues as to where she may have gone. In the process she discovers that Ester seems to have planned to live another life, even changing her name. In the end, it’s not at all what she expected.
Don’t You Cry by Mary Kubica is a fun read, as long as you don’t take it too seriously. Quinn is just too stupid and selfish to think much of. Of course, she is a 20-something, so perhaps the character was supposed to represent a negative view of that age. I just wasn’t a fan of her.
In the Clearing and Her Final Breath
In the Clearing and Her Final Breath are the last two books from Robert Dugoni in the Tracy Crosswhite series. At least I think Tracy’s story is over, but I really hope it isn’t.
You may remember that I stumbled onto Dugoni’s first book in the series, My Sister’s Grave, on Amazon Kindle Unlimited. I could not put it down. I loved Tracy’s character and the unique plot, which is difficult to find these days. Here’s my full review of that book.
I usually don’t read series, so I went into the next Crosswhite story not expecting much. Honestly, I was just hoping to find a book I enjoyed because I’d read a couple that I hadn’t and was having a difficult time focusing on anything new. Dugoni did not disappoint.
In Her Final Breath, Tracy has returned to the police force after her sister’s killer’s trial. And, of course, she immediately is put on the case of a serial killer. Not only is “the Cowboy” killing women, but he seems to have a special interest in Tracy, who needs to figure out who he is an arrest him before she becomes his next victim.
I liked Her Final Breath the least of the Crosswhite books, but it still was well written and a worthy read. I just wasn’t as attached to the storyline as I was in the other two.
In the Clearing is about the suspicious death of a Native American high school girl 40 years ago. Tracy is asked by a friend whose detective father just died to solve the one case he was never able to let go. Of course, she does. We all knew she would, but the story of what really happened to the girl is creative and kept me up reading far past my bedtime. Dugoni redeemed himself big time with this book. I loved it as much as the first one.
While I didn’t like all three books in the Tracy Crosswhite series equally, I gave all three of them perfect grades. Dugoni delivers unique storylines with twists every single time. You don’t get that much from authors these days. Sometimes it seems like everything already has been written and they’re just copying each other. Not so with Dugoni. I highly recommend these books if you love a good mystery.
Don’t Say a Word
Don’t Say a Word by Jennifer Jaynes was creepy!
The book’s main character is Allie Callahan, a single mother with a history of mental illness who lives with her son, Sammy, and her adoptive mother, who also happens to be a foster mother.
The little family seems to be getting along just fine until late one night when social services agents arrive with Zoe and Carrie, 12-year-old twins whose parents were killed in a double murder.
Allie and her foster mother soon discover that whoever murdered the girls’ parents is still out there and seems to know where the girls are. They have to figure out how to keep themselves and the girls safe until the police catch the killer.
The Butterfly Garden
While I’m writing about creepy books… The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison takes creepy to a whole new level.
A man who known to his captives as “the Gardener” kidnaps women and tattoos their backs with the wings of the butterflies he names them after. When the “garden” is discovered by police, two FBI agents interview “Maya” to determine how the women got to the garden, what happened to them there and how they managed to get free.
The story is told through Maya’s interviews with the agents, going back and forth between the interview room and her time in the garden.
I’m not sure how someone makes this stuff up, but it is creepy and terrifying. I also kept thinking as I was reading that the story would make a really good movie. I see now that it actually may be adapted into one. It would be worth seeing, for sure.
All is Not Forgotten
There are people in our lives who we trust to guide us who have the ability to change everything we think we know and alter justice. That’s what I kept thinking as I read All is Not Forgotten by Wendy Walker.
Jenny Kramer, a high school student, is brutally raped outside a local house party. While in the emergency room, her parents consent for Jenny to be given a new drug to medically erase her memory of the rape. The problem is that, while Jenny forgets the details of the attack, she is left with the emotions that result from it. Basically, Jenny feels anger and uncontrollable sorrow, but she doesn’t remember anything about why, which makes her rape even more emotionally traumatic for her.
Jenny’s father, Tom, is obsessed with finding out who attacked his daughter and didn’t really agree with giving her the drug to start with. Her mother, Charlotte, just wants everyone to forget all about the terrible night and move on. When Jenny can’t regulate her emotions, her parents take her to a therapist who thinks the best way to help her recovery is for her to remember what happened that night. As he helps Jenny uncover her memories, he realizes he has a vested interest in keeping her memories hidden.
This book would be difficult for some to read because it begins with the description of Jenny’s rape. However, the repeated theme of abuse of trust in the storyline makes it worth considering. It will make you sad and angry as you fly through the pages to see how it ends.
The Woman in Cabin 10
The release of The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware was all over reviewers’ lists, but once readers started getting their hands on the book, it seemed they did not enjoy it as much as expected. I think they were taking the book way too seriously, so their expectations were too great.
Lo Blacklock is a writer for a travel magazine chosen for an assignment on a weeklong, exclusive luxury cruise. Lo, who appears to drink too much and is basically a flake, is having the best time an insecure writer can have when she sees a woman being thrown overboard. When she reports the crime, everyone onboard treats her like she was drunk and is crazy, so she sets out to solve the mystery on her own.
Here’s the thing… if you’re looking for a serious murder mystery like many listed above, this is not the book for you. If you’re interested in a Clue-like cross between chick lit and a mystery, you’ll love this book. Unfortunately, it was billed as a more serious novel, which I think is what left a lot of readers disliking the book. It took me a handful of pages reading Lo’s story to realize she was not a character to be taken seriously. I read the book like a light summer beach read.
Gitchie Girl
Gitchie Girl by Phil and Sandy Hamman is the only non-fiction book on my list this month. It is about five teenagers being attacked while hanging out in Gitchie Manitou State Park. But the book really is about the lone surviving woman and her attempt of moving on with her life after being labeled the “Gitchie Girl.” The authors wrote the book through interviews with her after years of silence about the crimes that shaped the rest of her life.
You obviously can see that I love a good mystery novel. My genre of choice is apparent throughout my favorite books of July. I hope you find something on the list that you enjoy!
lisapotts says
profkrg I’m so glad you like mysteries like me. Thanks for the suggestions. Hope you have a great first week!