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Posts Tagged ‘wendy corsi staub’

Reviewed by Patricia Reid

Shadowkiller ends the trilogy involving the family of Allison Taylor, now Allison MacKenna. Allison met her husband Mack when she lived in Manhattan and her apartment was across the hall from Mack and his wife. Mack’s wife was killed in the 9-11 tragedy and Allison’s friend was murdered in their apartment building.

Allison and Mack eventually married and moved to the suburbs but they found that life was not to be smooth for the couple and their family. Someone is stalking the family and at times even Allison suspects the person causing the problems might be Mack. Eventually the truth is found out but not before even the children have a very close call.

Life has gone back to normal for the family and Allison has even agreed to make a trip to the Midwest to visit her brother and his wife. Allison’s father left when she was young and her mother killed herself with liquor and drugs. It is a very large step for Allison to agree to travel back to the Midwest. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Julie Siemek

Allison Taylor loves her adopted city of New York. She works in the high octane field of fashion and loving the invigorating urban hustle. Then the morning of September 11, 2011 brings life as she knows it to a grinding halt.

And then even more horror strikes. Allison’s upstairs neighbor is found brutally slaughtered and mutilated. With New York City and the Nation in shock on this day, the killer waits, watches, stalks and kills again ……. and again. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Patricia Reid

Wendy Corsi Staub’s novels are very addictive if the reader is looking for great characters, a lot of suspense and don’t mind a little cliffhanger at the end. Sleepwalker is the second novel in a trilogy with Allison Taylor now Allison MacKenna as the central character.

Allison met her husband Mack MacKenna when she had an apartment across from Mack and his wife in New York. Mack’s wife was killed in the 9-11 tragedy and Allison suffered a tragedy of her own at that time. She discovered the body of Kristina Haines, another resident in the apartment building. Kristina had been brutally murdered. Jerry Thompson, a maintenance man in the apartment building, was convicted of Kristina’s murder and sentenced to prison.

Allison and Mack eventually married and now have a wonderful family. Now it is announced on the news that Jerry Thompson has committed suicide and suspicious things begin happening to Allison. She feels that someone has invaded her space but who or how this can happen, she has no idea. Mack is taking medication for his insomnia and Allison catches him walking in his sleep one night. Allison fights back the thoughts that Mack may be the cause of some of the strange little things that are happening.

When Bob Lewis, Allison’s neighbor who is out of town, contacts Allison and asks that she go next door and check on his wife Phyllis, Allison agrees. On arriving at the Lewis’ home Allison finds that Phyllis has been murdered and in the same manner as Kristina ten years before. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Patricia Reid

Terrifying in more than one way, this novel holds the interest of the reader from the very beginning and just does not let go. The book begins the night before the terrorist strike on New York on September 11, 2001.

Allison Taylor lives in Manhattan and loves it. Allison is a style editor at 7th Avenue Magazine. Kristina Haines lives in the apartment above Allison’s and the two are neighbors. Kristina is an aspiring Broadway actress. The two visit in the laundry room from time to time and have exchanged keys to their apartments with each other in case of emergency.

Jerry Thompson is the maintenance man in the apartment building. Kristina tells Allison that Jerry is creeping her out. She says he is always watching her. Allison assures Kristina that Jerry is harmless. Jerry is a little slow but Allison feels that he would not hurt anyone.

Suddenly terrorists strike New York. The city is in a shambles. All members of the police departments and the fire departments are called to the scene. Many are trying to find friends and family of their own as well as looking for survivors. Allison is forced to walk most of the way home from a late party.

Allison hasn’t seen Kristina since the tragedy and thinks perhaps she went to stay with a friend but when she goes to Kristina’s apartment to check she finds that Kristina has been brutally murdered. Detective Rocko Manzillo is in charge of the investigation. He explains to Allison that although the department is short-handed the police will be at the apartment for quite some time investigating the murder. Allison tells Detective Manzillo about Kristina’s fear of Jerry but Allison doesn’t even know his last name or where to find him. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Vickie Dailey

Hell to Pay is the third book in a trilogy consisting of Live to Tell and Scared to Death. This book is not really a stand-alone. I do recommend that you read the other two first. Most of the first half of the book is given over to retelling of relationships and past events in the other two books. When it finally gets down to it’s own story – Jeremy & Lucy Cavalon and their soon to be born child. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Patricia Reid

Jeremy Cavalon and Lucy Walsh Cavalon are happily married and expecting their first baby. This should be a happy time for the couple whose past has brought much happiness to both the Cavalon and the Walsh families. Someone from the couple’s past has plans for the new baby. Jeremy and Lucy would be horrified if they had any hint of what was in store in the weeks ahead.

Jeremy’s grandmother, Sylvie Durand, recently passed away. Sylvie’s body was discovered in the bathtub in her lavish apartment at The Ansonia in New York City. It appeared that Sylvie just passed away while bathing. There were no clues to lead anyone to believe that her death was actually a murder.

Jeremy and Lucy received an eviction notice and suddenly had to find a new place to live. The eviction notice was unexpected and Christmas was just around the corner. The couple decided to move into Sylvie’s vacant apartment. There was no way of the couple knowing that the eviction had been carefully planned by someone who needed the couple in Sylvie’s apartment and cameras had been set up in Sylvie’s apartment so that every move the couple made could be documented. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Patricia Reid

Reviewed by Patricia Reid

When Elsa Cavalon is awakened from a sound sleep by someone calling “Mommy” she immediately thinks of Jeremy but Elsa and Brett Cavalon lost Jeremy, their adopted son. Jeremy was taken from the Cavalon’s and recently they were told that Jeremy had been murdered. Now they have a new daughter and hope to adopt Renny soon. It is Renny crying out to her mother and Elsa finds a window open in Renny’s room, a window that Elsa knows she locked before going to bed. Not only is the window open but so is the screen. So begins Elsa’s new nightmare.

Jeremy wasn’t a perfect child but he was loved and when he disappeared Elsa almost lost her mind. Brett and Elsa hired a private detective, Mike Fantoni, to search for Jeremy when the authorities had given up. Now Elsa and Brett turn to Mike to help solve the new threat that has come into their lives.

Meanwhile Jeremy’s birth mother is living her own nightmare. Marin Hartwell Quinn is starting over since Garvey Quinn, her politician husband, was arrested. The Quinn’s have two daughters, Caroline and Annie. Although Garvey Quinn was arrested for another crime, Marin knows that Garvey was responsible for the kidnapping of Jeremy. Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Cheryl Masciarelli

How does one pink stuffed dog called Fred, and owned by four-year old Sadie Walsh, entwine three (3) families that are relatively unknown to each other? What is it about Sadie’s favorite toy that leads to multiple murders, both young and older?

Byron Gregson, investigative reporter, is being chased through the streets of New York. Byron knows what they want and it is a USB. This USB contains information that is so damaging his life may be at stake. He knows what he has uncovered could ruin the life of a privileged political hopeful Garvey Quinn, who is on the campaign trail and considered to be the favorite, running for the highest office in New York, to become the next Governor.

On a very hot day in August, Lauren Walsh has taken Sadie into New York for the day, while her older two children are away at summer camp. Lauren wonders why she has made this trip. Sadie is not being cooperative and a bit cranky. Lauren would rather be home, hidden from everyone because she knows that she is the topic of those who gossip.

Sadie drops her stuffed animal, Fred just a few seconds before Byron is running by. He thinks he may have found a solution to his dilemma and picks up this toy. He hopes that his idea will give him a little more time to write this huge story that is stored on that USB and possibly even protect him from major injury. He runs into Grand Central Station and hides where no one can see him. He rips a small seam in the stuffed animal and inserts the USB drive. He then turns the toy over to Lost and Found where he figures he can retrieve it at a later time.

What is on that USB that connect these three families? Read the rest of this entry »

Reviewed by Patricia Reid

Lauren Walsh thinks that nothing can be worse than what she is living through since her husband left her for another woman. Her children are going through a very bad time and Lauren is trying her best to keep her family together and reasonably happy. However, when her youngest daughter, Sadie, loses Fred a nightmare begins.

When Lauren’s ex-husband goes to the Lost & Found department, picks up a stuffed toy that he thinks is Fred, and takes it home to Sadie he has unknowingly placed his daughter, himself and the entire family at risk. Read the rest of this entry »