#tim mcbain

REVIEW

Watch Her Sleep by L.T. Vargus & Tim McBain

Detective Charlotte Winters #3

 Fast-paced and intense from beginning to end – this book captured my interest immediately and did not kept me focused till the bitter end. Great addition to the series!

 What I liked:

* Charlie: complicated, conflicted, intelligent, focused, has conversations with her deceased twin, strong, lethal when necessary.

* Easy to read.

* Pacing

* That it seemed possible.

* The suspense building.

* Wondering about Will Crawford and what his role will be in the series

* That it was case-oriented with only a snippet about romance.

* References to people in previous stories and wanting to see more of them: Zoe, Paige, Frank, Will

* That the baddie was eventually dealt with.

 What I didn’t like

* The baddie – someone it was easy to dislike and wish dealt with.

* Knowing that such things do happen in real life.

* A comment – not a dislike – this is a series better read in order as some characters that are major players in Charlie’s life just appear in this book without much reference to their pasts and how they are important to her.

 Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? I believe I would.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC - This is my honest review.

 4-5 Stars

     BLURB

 Nestled in the autumn leaves, her hair tangled in thick brambles, the girl looks like she could be sleeping amongst the wild roses. But the trail of red across her delicate throat means this is a slumber she will never wake from…

When a search party trawling Salem Island find a girl’s body curled on the damp earth, the hunt for missing waitress Emma Jacobis grinds to a devastating halt. The day before, Emma had come to Detective Charlie Winters convinced someone was watching her. In her trembling hand she held a sketch of herself sleeping peacefully with the stuffed rabbit she’d had since she was a child. On the back, scrawled in black ink: You will be mine… A box containing handwritten letters found under Emma’s bed is Charlie’s first lead. But the handwriting isn’t a match to the note left for Emma. With the help of her new assistant, a troubled girl eager to learn the ropes, Charlie’s only hope is to canvas the bar where Emma worked. There, she finds a woman with fear in her eyes and a terrifying story to tell about an encounter with a dangerous stranger. Is someone in this small town targeting vulnerable girls as prey? Certain she’s found a twisted killer’s hunting ground, and with time running out before he strikes again, Charlie has no choice but to use her new assistant as bait to lure him out into the open. But when a scream pierces through the night, will Charlie survive the consequences? She has to, or there’s no knowing how many more innocent girls will die … An absolutely nail-biting and completely jaw-dropping crime thriller. Fans of Kendra Elliot, Robert Dugoni and Lisa Regan will be left reeling after reading in one sitting!

    L.T. Vargus

Tim McBain

AUTHOR BIO

 L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain are the authors of the Violet Darger series and The Scattered and the Dead series among others, which have collectively tallied over a million downloads. Their book, Dead End Girl, peaked at #3 in the US Kindle charts and has remained in the top 10 in multiple sub-categories since it was published in 2017.

https://ltvargus.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ltvargusbooks/

https://twitter.com/ltvargus

    Buy Links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3rxDyji

Apple: https://apple.co/2MuautC

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3plHm62

REVIEW

Girl Under Water by   L.T. Vargus

Detective Charlotte Winters #2

Charlie Winters has a new assistant and a new case. She is hoping her uncle Frank will get good feedback from his oncologist and is eager to find a good way to care for her mother while she works in her uncle’s place at A1 Investigations. Meeting Charlie in book one I found the conversations she had with her sister, missing twenty years and presumed dead, interesting. I just reviewed my previous review and was reminded that Charlie left a job elsewhere to return too Michigan and was conflicted about that move. As in book one, the prologue sets the stage for the case Charlie will be working on and within the first chapter or so we meet the main characters and potential killer.

What I liked:

* Charlie: seemed intelligent, focused, and a good person. She cared about her mother and uncle and…heard the voice of her long gone sister.

* Frank: didn’t see much of him but did like Charlie’s uncle and hope to se more of him in book three.

* The way the story was presented…the time line and slow presentation of tidbits was intriguing

* Who Charlie called on for assistance – would like to hear more about Zoe, Mason and Paige in future books

* That it is set in Michigan

* The way Charlie pursued the case

* That I was not sure who the killer was till near the end – and then there was a twist

* The other twist, or two, or more…hmm…

* That the killer was revealed and dealt with

* knowing there will be another book to look forward to and hoping to learn more about the cast of characters in book three.

What I didn’t like:

* Knowing that family dynamics can be “bad” and that dysfunctional families exist as they did in this book.

* The lengths some of the characters went to for the reasons they thought were justifiable

* Having to wait to read book three…am curious.

Did I like this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

BLURB

Her numb fingers scrabble over upholstery, over metal, over glass, searching for a way out. Water stings her eyes as she’s dragged downward, clinging to her last breath as she’s absorbed into the cold dark below… When Gloria Carmichael’s body is found broken and bleeding on the sidewalk just days after knocking on Detective Charlie Winters’ door begging for help to locate her father’s will, Charlie’s instinct is confirmed: her latest case is about more than just a simple family feud. The Carmichaels are famous in Salem Island for their large family and charitable work, but, moments before she died, beautiful, trustworthy eldest daughter Gloria called Charlie to say she had uncovered a terrible secret that would break the mystery of her father’s death wide open. With the voice of her murdered sister ringing in her ears —pushing her to risk everything to bring justice to the innocent —Charlie takes matters into her own hands. She won’t let another family break apart like her own, and she knows the answers she needs are hidden somewhere inside the Carmichael home. But as Charlie races to confront her main suspect—a file containing evidence that will devastate the Carmichael family on the car seat beside her —she’s rammed off the road and over the edge of a nearby cliff. Fighting for breath in a sinking car, Charlie has to survive or other innocent lives will be taken. Everyone involved is keeping secrets, but only one twisted soul is prepared to kill to keep theirs… An addictive crime thriller with twists at every turn, you won’t know what hit you after you’ve finished Girl Under Water. A perfect read-in-one-sitting rollercoaster ride for anyone who adores Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Mary Burton. 

L.T. Vargus

Tim McBain

AUTHOR BIO

L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain are the authors of the Violet Darger series and The Scattered and the Dead series among others, which have collectively tallied over a million downloads. Their book, Dead End Girl, peaked at #3 in the US Kindle charts and has remained in the top 10 in multiple sub-categories since it was published in 2017.  

https://ltvargus.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ltvargusbooks/

https://twitter.com/ltvargus

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://bit.ly/36WzMrU

Apple: https://apple.co/2S227og

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2RZ8V6s

REVIEW

First Gone Girl by L.T. Vargus & Tim McBain

Charlotte Winters #1

 Charlotte “Charlie” Winters is back in her childhood home after almost a decade away. Her reason for being there is not fully given but there are inklings provided. At first, reading the synopsis, I thought that Charlie was a police detective, but she is really more of a private investigator and has been for several years in Seattle before returning home. She is currently working in her Uncle Frank’s private investigation office and has mixed feelings about being back in Michigan.

 The prologue sets the stage for the missing persons case, The next chapter had me quickly pondering who the characters were and how they would impact the case Charlie will ultimately agree to pursue. The missing person case Charlie accepts soon triggers memories of her past and the loss of her twin sister, provides interaction with old friends from high school, provides flashbacks to past events in her life, provides information related to Charlie’s backstory, and ultimately provides an intriguing thriller with a bad guy to catch in hopes of saving a young girl’s life.  

 What I liked:

* Charlie: an interesting character with an interest in seeking to provide recompense or justice for victims.

* Not knowing what to think of Allie and her relationship with Charlie

* Learning more about Charlie’s backstory although I believe there is much more to learn

* Zoe: I hope to see more of her in the future as she and Charlie work cases that overlap

* Uncle Frank: I charmer with a bit of a rough edge – do hope he is there for many more books in the series

* Will: I would like to hear more about him. He seems to be a lawyer dedicated to his clients’ best interests

* The twists and turns that occurred in the pursuit of the kidnapper-murderer

* Some of the red herrings – there was more than one

* Reading a story that introduced me to new authors

* knowing that there will be a book two to look forward in the future

 What I did not like:

* Knowing that such crimes occur more often than we would like to believe

* Amber’s parents

* The double standard related to bending the law that Charlie had depending on whether it was her or someone else doing the bending

* Knowing I will have to wait awhile to find out what happens next

 Did I like this book? Yes

Would I read more in this series/by these authors? Definitely

 Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 4-5 Stars

    BLURB

 Down the beach, she can just make out the rusting hulk of the Ferris wheel through the dawn mist. The hairs prickle on her neck as she drags her focus back to the chestnut hair fanned out in the shallow water at her feet, to the grains of sand decorating the beautiful girl’s white cheeks like freckles. Detective Charlie Winters never thought she’d find herself back on Salem Island, but she’s forced home re-open the wound that never healed: her sister was abducted from the small town when they were teenagers. But now a family friend needs her help to find her missing daughter, Kara. Searching Kara’s messy, poster-covered bedroom, Charlie finds more questions than answers. Did Kara run away, or was she snatched? She’s clearly been keeping secrets from her family—but don’t all teenagers? A little black matchbook hidden in a jewellery box is Charlie’s only lead, but the seedy nightclub it comes from proves to be nothing but a dangerous dead end. Until Charlie is approached by a second distraught mother whose daughter has also vanished. Forced at every turn to relive the trauma she ran away from, Charlie’s blood runs cold when a girl’s body is discovered in the exact spot on the water’s edge where the last trace of her sister was found. It’s clear someone is taunting Charlie, but with other innocent girls’ lives at risk, she has no choice but to take the bait…

An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller that will leave you gasping for breath. Fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Lisa Regan will need to sleep with the lights on!   

 L.T. Vargus

Tim McBain

Author Bio:

 L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain are the authors of the Violet Darger series and The Scattered and the Dead series among others, which have collectively tallied over a million downloads. Their book, Dead End Girl, peaked at #3 in the US Kindle charts and has remained in the top 10 in multiple sub-categories since it was published in 2017.  

 https://ltvargus.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ltvargusbooks/  

https://twitter.com/ltvargus  

 Buy Links:

 Amazon: https://bit.ly/3m81ebE

Apple: https://apple.co/2NQmRh3

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2BNOBzU