This trio of charming cheaters will beguile readers.
Spurious siblings and a well-coiffed psychic work million-dollar cons in this debut thriller.
Marin County’s top-producing realtor, Victoria Clifford, has a net worth of nearly $10 million, but not all of it was earned selling pricey real estate. Her swindling sideline accounts for most of her fortune. A busy lady, she does find time for spa treatments, the occasional “celebratory sniff” of coke, and trysts with a variety of men, some married, some not, but all hot. “To think some women settled for just one man,” she ponders. Nor has she settled for committing just one scam. She now plans her sixth takedown of a vulnerable wealthy woman. Maribeth Simmons needs to sell her $5.3 million home. Her husband left her in California for a man in Missouri. Stylish Victoria takes Maribeth under her crooked wing, gets her to a hair stylist, and updates her wardrobe from twin sets and khakis to flattering bias-cut dresses. Next, Victoria takes her out on the town, where she meets and falls for handsome Rufus McCain, the latest alias of Victoria’s brother, Theo. Soon, Maribeth consults with atypical psychic Vera Peterlin, a handsome woman with an elegant chignon and a professional office. Thanks to Victoria, Vera knows a lot about Maribeth. What Maribeth doesn’t know is that Vera is Theo and Victoria’s aunt. The psychic encourages Maribeth to invest in Steeplechase Enterprises, a nonexistent company that Theo tricks her into thinking is a winner. The title of Roberts’ engaging book works on two levels. Victoria is a real estate agent, and, unbeknown to her, there’s an FBI agent on her trail. Suspense builds as the FBI attempts to ensnare Victoria and her family, just as they have entrapped Maribeth and her money. Tension escalates as the family members make increasingly more mistakes in their con, and guilt takes the edge off their victories. Strong characters, humor, and twists contribute to an immensely readable thriller.
This trio of charming cheaters will beguile readers.Pub Date: March 23, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73277-477-3
Page Count: 290
Publisher: Easy Riter Press
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A satisfying thriller that will warm the hearts of fans who already take comfort in hating the forces of evil.
Lt. Eve Dallas’ 63rd futuristic case is less a whodunit than a manhunt for an unusually sympathetic killer.
Thirteen years ago, way back in 2048, scientific genius Steve Redman—father of the Banner-Wyst corporation’s Rainmaker Project—narrowly escaped death in a gas explosion that killed his pregnant wife and infant son and 200 other residents of their New York City apartment building the night before he planned to report his suspicions about the company to the FBI. Now the bill is coming due for Banner-Wyst. The first death to be discovered is that of Lawrence Chu, Redman’s colleague and trusted friend, whose tenure as director of bioengineering science ends when he’s beaten to death. For quite a while, Dallas and her partner, Det. Delia Peabody, know less about this mystery than their readers do. But when Ezra Dent, a consultant to Banner-Wyst who worked with Redman and Chu back in the day, is murdered in exactly the same ferocious way, Dallas and Peabody, with help from Roarke, Dallas’ tech-billionaire husband, promptly put the pieces together and determine who they’re looking for. The search for Redman, who went AWOL from his hospital bed without a trace six years ago, has its own challenges. So does Dallas’ attempt to get cooperation from partners Calvin Banner and Jacob Wyst, who are clearly in the crosshairs of a killer who seems a lot less monstrous than they are. If the breaks in the case are suspiciously convenient in arriving, readers can pride themselves on taking sides against a mega-corporation whose self-avowed ecological saintliness is undermined by its leaders’ underhanded dealing.
A satisfying thriller that will warm the hearts of fans who already take comfort in hating the forces of evil.Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9781250414564
Page Count: 368
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.
A violent attack hijacks a woman’s memory in this novel of domestic suspense.
McFadden wastes no time pulling the trigger in this harrowing story that starts with gunfire then swiftly propels readers into a crack tale of secrets and misdirection. Originally self-published in 2016, the book carries the same formidable weight as McFadden’s later novels featuring unsuspecting women who lose their power then fight to recapture it—mostly from men who have betrayed them. That formula perfectly fits Dr. Charlotte McKenna, a 37-year-old dermatologist who isn’t looking for love until the most handsome man she’s ever seen begins to woo her. There are warning signs about Clark Douglas and Charlotte overlooks them to her detriment—but is he a killer? The novel has dual timelines split between events leading up to the day Charlotte barely survives a head wound meant to kill her and the months afterward, when she struggles to reclaim her memory and her mobility. In real life, McFadden is a physician trained to treat brain injuries. Her expertise gives Charlotte’s rehabilitation authenticity, and her writing talent makes it interesting and engaging. As good as that timeline is, readers will yearn to get back to the alternate timeline about who wants Charlotte dead. It’s only a matter of time before Charlotte starts to remember who tried to kill her, and the clock is ticking toward their next attempt. McFadden dishes up plenty of suspects: Charlotte’s secretive husband, Clark; a former patient turned stalker who confronts Charlotte on her honeymoon; and the angry husband of a patient who blames Charlotte for his wife leaving him. Though the story is delicious and dark, McFadden brightens things up with a possible love interest for Charlotte and a surprise ending sure to please the author’s many fans.
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9781464249617
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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