Solid mystery series

Not a Word
Natalie Marsh #1
By Stephanie Black

Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc. (October 31, 2016)
Paperback: 272 pages
ISBN-10: 1524401242
ISBN-13: 978-1524401245
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Everybody has a secret. Two years ago, psychologist Natalie Marsh's dying mother disinherited her and left everything to her sister. Still dealing with the pain of rejection, Natalie struggles with feelings of envy and discomfort toward coworker Skyler Hudson, her late mother's trusted therapist who knows the worst of the family's rift. Fresh personal challenges begin heaping on top of professional ones when Natalie's best friend, Camille Moretti, confides that she thinks someone is stalking her— and she's not the only one in danger. When tensions rise and everyone has something at stake, is there anyone Natalie can trust? Or will she find herself slowly drowning in the mysteries?

 My Thoughts:

This series-opener gives us a good introduction to Natalie Marsh, the protagonist. She’s working through issues of her own while trying to get a mental health clinic off the ground. When one friend is murdered, and long-time family friend Felicia Radcliffe starts claiming her husband’s accidental death wasn’t so accidental, Natalie finds herself in danger. Add in Felicia’s very personable stepson, and things get even more interesting!

I enjoyed how multi-layered this story was. We frequently suspect people—with good reason—only to be diverted to someone else. There are multiple things going on at once. And some of the betrayals come from a place we really, really don’t expect. These threads come together neatly at the end, and the resolution is satisfying.

All of the characters here are well-drawn. Their motivations may not be fully rational, but their actions clearly come from those motivations.

 I want to give a special nod to the eccentric, kind-hearted millionaire, Bob Chapman. It’s not a spoiler to say that he is a recurring character throughout this series, and his scenes are always a highlight. I also really enjoy the police detectives, Bartholomew and Turner, who also make frequent appearances.

 

Mind Games
Natalie Marsh #2
By Stephanie Black
 
Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc. (August 31, 2017)
Paperback: 312 pages
ISBN-10: 1524404373
ISBN-13: 978-1524404376
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

Psychologist Natalie Marsh's dream is now reality: her mental health services clinic has opened and is housed in an elegant, newly renovated nineteenth-century building. Unfortunately, not everyone is happy with the clinic's presence, including Heather Osbourne, a troubled young woman who wholly objects to the occupation of the building. Heather has spent years wandering the halls of the abandoned structure, convinced she's communing with her ancestor's ghost.

When Natalie thwarts Heather's attempt to leap from a window, the shaken psychologist soon realizes Heather's failed jump is merely one piece of a disturbing puzzle. Greed and deceit are weaving a web around Natalie, and someone will stop at nothing—not even murder—to get what they want. Stretched to her breaking point, Natalie struggles to learn the truth, but only one thing is clear: nothing is as it seems.

 My Thoughts:

Natalie’s dream has come true: with support from Bob Chapman, she has opened a mental health clinic in a beautiful refurbished old building. But someone is doing their very best to make the clinic look bad. With support from now-boyfriend (maybe?) Gideon Radcliffe, Natalie has to figure out just who is behind this effort. Is it Heather? Or is there something more at play?

 Natalie’s efforts are complicated by her determination to keep the confidentiality of her clients—even to not confirming or denying that they are her clients. This sometimes ends up getting her in hot water with detectives Bartholomew and Turner.

 Once again, there is a secondary plot in play here, and it makes figuring out just what’s going on even more complicated.

 It doesn’t take the reader long (at least this reader, a high school English teacher) to realize that the secondary plot is based on the plot of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. There aren’t as many murders, and Birnam Wood doesn’t come to Dunsinane Hill, but the bones are there.

 Once again, the clues are there if you’re looking, but there are still some surprises that I totally didn’t see coming—even though I’m quite familiar with Macbeth.

 

To Die, To Sleep
Natalie Marsh #3
By Stephanie Black
 
Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc. (November 1, 2019)
Paperback: 272 pages
ISBN-10: 1524409138
ISBN-13: 978-1524409135
 
Publisher’s Blurb:

After surviving a difficult year, Natalie Marsh is heading for Ellsberg Keep, an exclusive mountain resort that promises to provide the tranquility she desperately needs. She's eager to relax and to reconnect with her estranged cousin Lily, who works as the Keep's nurse—a reunion that begins abruptly when an accident on the winding mountain roads lands Natalie in the infirmary in the care of her cousin. They have little time to bond over childhood memories, however. Everything is thrown into chaos when the owner of the Keep is rushed to the medical wing, wildly delusional and raving about a murder plot.

 Despite Lily's care, the owner dies. Is his death simply an accident, or are his frenzied suspicions true? Determined to help Lily cope with the loss of her patient—and the accusations that she's to blame for his death—Natalie searches for answers and is swept into a mystery that grows more puzzling as frightening hallucinations torment the dead man's son. When a staff member who asks too many questions disappears, it is clear that this idyllic resort harbors someone with deadly intent—and Natalie may not survive to uncover the truth.

 My Thoughts:

Natalie is due for a break, and when she gets the chance to reunite with a favorite cousin, traveling to a mountain resort seems like just the thing! Of course, being Natalie, she finds herself right in the middle of suspicious circumstances pretty quickly. Is her cousin as genuine as Natalie wants to believe? Or is she part of the problem.

 The title in this one is a clear giveaway for the Shakespeare inspiration: Hamlet. Again, Black doesn’t follow that plot beat-for-beat, but names and situations clearly come from that play.

 There aren’t quite as many subplots in this as in the previous two books, but there are plenty of people to suspect as we work through just what happened to Henry Ellsberg—and why. And once again, the real culprit is not who you might have thought.

 Gideon doesn’t make much of an appearance in the first part of this book, but once Natalie is clearly getting into trouble, he wastes no time joining her to try to keep her safe. Their relationship is developing at a reasonable pace, which is really nice to see in a world of “instalove.”

 I didn’t mention Gideon’s hobby before: he designs Lego replicas of famous buildings. How cool is that? I love that little touch.

 Sadly, we don’t get to see our favorite detectives or Chapman in this book.

 Thank you to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for providing an ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

 Bound in Shallows
Natalie Marsh #4
By Stephanie Black

 Publisher: Covenant Communications, Inc. (November 23, 2020)
Paperback: 264 pages
ISBN-10: 1524415243
ISBN-13: 978-1524415242

Publisher’s Blurb:

It's the week before her wedding, and Natalie Marsh doesn't have a moment to spare. But when a potential donor requests a meeting regarding Natalie's mental health clinic, the soon-to-be-bride makes time for the conversation especially since that donor is tied to a tragic loss in the life of Natalie's fiancé, Gideon. Eight years ago, Gideon's roommate Travis died of a drug overdose, and now Travis's mother wants to honor his memory by helping others avoid the same fate. It is a noble request that soon turns into a nightmare.

 As wedding celebrations ensue, old friends renew acquaintances. But what begins as a party of wedding guests becomes a cast of suspects when the discovery of a bloodstained knife puts them all under the spotlight. Things are taking a deadly turn, leading Natalie and Gideon to a horrifying realization: all those years ago, Travis didn't overdose he was murdered. And his killer is willing to take deadly action to silence anyone who suspects the truth.

 My Thoughts:

Gideon gets a little more time on the page as we meet his college friends, who have come to see him marry Natalie. One presence is much missed: Travis, who died of a drug overdose while they were in graduate school.

 Of course, there are secrets. Of course, they are dangerous secrets. And eventually, Gideon finds himself a target. Naturally, Natalie gets involved, and soon she’s in danger, too.

 This time, the Shakespearean inspiration is Julius Caesar. We see those threads of ambition and power throughout the story. And again, Black is able to misdirect our attention, setting up multiple possibilities as to who is behind the murders. Naturally, they all have things to hid. But exactly who is hiding exactly what?

 Travis’s mother is not very likable as she tries to steamroll Natalie into changing almost everything about her clinic in order to memorialize Travis. Luckily, Natalie has a strong backbone and doesn’t fall for it—even though it could potentially mean alienating Bob Chapman.

 There is a secondary plot that I particularly like here: Natalie’s thorny relationship with her sister Andrea. Andrea would like to reconcile, but that’s a pretty tough prospect for Natalie. Even though she is a mental health professional, Natalie realizes she’s still working through her own family issues. These scenes are particularly well done.

 Thank you to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for providing an ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

 

Come Gentle Night
Natalie Marsh #5
By Stephanie Black
 
Publisher: Covenant Communications (November 2, 2022)
Paperback: 288 pages
ISBN-10: 1524420492
ISBN-13: 978-1524420499

Publisher’s Blurb:

After her entanglement in several homicide investigations, psychologist Natalie Marsh is determined to avoid further trouble. But when her intern needs help monitoring and calming family drama for the duration of a party, Natalie steps up. After all, acting as a peacemaker at a fundraising gala seems relatively risk-free in comparison to her past escapades―what could happen at a dance? When an argument between feuding guests becomes assault, Natalie realizes the situation is more complicated than she anticipated, with one man at the center of it all: Rowan Montrose.

Four years ago, Rowan’s brother was convicted of murdering his wife. But Rowan believes there’s more to the story, suspecting that the real murderer is walking free. His romantic interest in the younger sister of a police detective renders him more determined than ever to clear the family name. Familiar with Natalie’s reputation, he seeks out her assistance. Natalie tries to decline―she’s no private detective―but as frightening incidents unfold, it’s clear she’s in the middle of this whether she wants to be or not, and breaking through the layers of deception that hide the truth may have lethal consequences.

 My Thoughts:

Every high school English teacher’s favorite: Romeo and Juliet!

 Yep, this time we get star-crossed lovers: Jemma Bartholomew, Detective Bartholomew’s sister, and Rowan Montrose, who, with his cousin, hates the police and believes they covered up his brother’s innocence in the case of his wife’s murder.

 Again, we have a variety of people to be suspicious of. And Natalie finds herself protecting one of them—a client who is one of the cops who worked the case of Serena Montrose’s murder. In her attempts not to reveal that he is her client, she sometimes makes things worse.

 Gideon continues to be the wonderful and supportive husband we know and love, while trying to keep Natalie from putting herself in danger. Naturally, it doesn’t work, but he’s always there to pick up the pieces.

 I particularly enjoyed getting to see Abe Bartholomew move from a side character to an integral part of the story. His frustration in dealing with his little sister, who is determined not to listen, rings true. Even better, rather than our young lovers dying, we see them survive their idiocy and become wiser people. And Jemma is able to separate herself from Rowan’s infatuation, so that’s definitely a win.

 Black continues to give us stories that use complicated family dynamics as part of the impetus for her plots. Can’t wait for the next installment!

Thank you to NetGalley and Covenant Communications for providing an ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

 Possible Objectionable Material:

Murders. Danger, Betrayal. Lying. A difficult marriage dynamic. A little gaslighting. Mental illness. Natalie’s somewhat abusive mother is mentioned frequently. There is no swearing and the violence is not graphic. Some people drink alcohol, but I don’t recall anyone being actually drunk. Drug use. Complicated personal relationships. Manipulation.

 Who Might Like This Book:

People who like suspense stories. Those who like complicated family dynamics and other relationships. People who like allusions to Shakespeare stories. There is bit of romance here, but it is definitely not the focus of the story.