The Divorce by Freida McFadden

 A woman's husband asks for a divorce and the wife's paints herself as a total victim.  Second half of the book, from the mistress's perspective shows maybe the wife isn't as pure as she thinks she is.  Also, the husband is a jerk the whole time.

I didn't like any of the characters and the "twist" is now such a FMcF thing that I spend the whole first half wondering what's not true.  She really needs to write more novels where the twist is not the main plot point.  It was great in The Housemaid when nobody expected it, but it's getting pretty old now.

2.5 stars.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

 Picked this to fulfill a Goodreads challenge even though I'm pretty sure I read it once upon a time.

Bridget is a 30-something single woman navigating life.

This felt pretty dated.  I probably enjoyed it more when I was younger.

2.5 stars.

Penitence by Kristen Koval

 Audio. 12 hours.

Read by Therese Plummer.

When he daughter shoots and kills her son, Angie must deal with her old boyfriend who is defending her.

I was really disappointed that there was no explanation for the shooting.  

2.5 stars.

The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker

 A  true-crime writer's husband is murdered, but she has an air-tight alibi.  Was it the dirty cop?  

2.5 stars.

25 Alive by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

 Women's Murder Club.  Once again, it felt like the word count was met and the stories were just cut off with stupid resolutions.

2.5 stars.  (Only because I actually finished it.)

The House of Cross by James Patterson

 Latest Alex Cross installment.  Still chasing M.  Lots of repetition in the text. I think the descriptor "billionaire" was used 4 or more times in just a few paragraphs.  Not sure why I stick with these books.

2.5 stars.

No Place Left to Hide by Megan Lally

Audio.  7.75 hours.

Read by Justis Bolding

A teenage girl's drowning is ruled an accident, but not everyone believes it's the truth.

I almost gave up on this because the main character's whining was getting to me.  It took a turn or two that made me keep listening.

2.5 stars.

By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult

 Melina writes a play claiming Shakespeare's work were actually written by a woman.  Most of the book is then written from that woman's (Emilia's) point of view.

This felt really long.  I'm not a fan of historical fiction.

2.5 stars.

The Clinic by Cate Quinn

Audio.  13.25 hours.

Read by Laurel Lefkow.

When a famous singer over doses in rehab, her sister checks in to find out what really happen.  I didn't like any of the characters, and the "twist" at the end was dumb.

2.5 stars.

Lies He Told Me by James Patterson and David Ellis

 David saves a man from drowning, and it's captured on video and goes viral.  This unleashes publicity that his wife and kids don't need.

I never cared about the characters and the action was pretty dull until the last 75 pages or so.

2.5 stars.

The Stranger Inside by Lisa Unger

Three children are attacked in the woods, and only two survive.  The trauma of the attack affects their lives in different way.

This book was such a slog.  So much narrative and so little action.  I usually like Lisa Unger.

2.5 stars. 

The 24th Hour by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

 Latest in the Women's Murder Club series.   Three unrelated stories that each seem to wrap up so easily, it felt like the writers reached their word limit and just ended things.

I really need to break up with Patterson.  I'm guessing that he's got so much material that soon it'll just be AI stories.

2.5 stars.

Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson

Audio.  7.75 hours.

Read by Karissa Vacker.  (Annoying, breathless delivery of the women.) 

An island for rich men to punish their unfaithful wives.  (Eyeroll)

2.5 stars.  I expected so much more from a Peter Swanson novel.

The Day I Disappeared by Brandi Reeds

 Twenty years after a girl is kidnapped, and then returned 94 days later, strange things start happening.

I never once cared about the main character, and I found the best friend's "name" gag-inducing.  There were a good number of possible suspects though, and I did like the mother's narration/thoughts though she was comatose.  Her waking at the end was a bit trite though.

2.5 stars.

How to Knit a Murder by Sally Goldenbaum

 Boring cozy mystery.  Not enough knitting.

2.5 stars.

23 1/2 Lies by James Patterson, et al.

3 novellas:  23 1/2 Lies, Fallen Ranger, and Watch Your Back.

  The best thing I can say about this is that they were short.  None were particularly suspenseful, but I did finish them.

2.5 stars.

                      

           

2 Sisters Detective Agency by James Patterson and Candice Fox

 Estranged dad dies and Rhonda inherits a younger half-sister she didn't know about.  

I didn't particularly like any of the characters.  I didn't care that the teens got killed, but I felt a bit sorry for the guy that killed them, so weird.

I honestly only finished it to get credit for reading it.

2.5 stars

Furious by T.R. Ragan

Suburban mom will find her children's kidnappers even when the police can't.  Except that she doesn't.  Or maybe she does in the next book?  Did not realize this was a series with no ending to this story.

2.5 stars. 

Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline

Christine thinks her sperm donor is a recently captured serial killer.

Stupid premise and a stupid protagonist. 

2.5 stars.

The Lost by James Patterson and James O. Born

FBI special task force takes on human trafficking.  I didn't care about the detectives or the victims, and the first 200 pages didn't even have the Patterson page-turning plot.

2.5 stars.