Video Interview: Pre Order NOW WINGS OF MADNESS
- Vanessa Bettencourt
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
You know I've been inviting and interviewing some of my top favorite indie authors of 2025, whom I have already read one or two books of, and am waiting patiently for more. Being eclectic, I've selected different genres and themes, so now we have a THRILLER series that I loved and want to share with you. It was such a fun, stress-free conversation.
Due to a building plumbling incident in our apartment's walls, (this is one of the historical buildings, celebrating 100 years and it used to be a famous hotel back in the Al Capone era) I had to do this in the garden, but it only made it more relaxing, maybe the next ones I'll take them outside to the city of Chicago. What do you think?
Check out my reviews for Books 1 and 2 (both 5). You can read them isolated as episodes, or start from Book 1
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REVIEW 1
5 plus. If this is a debut... sign me up for the rest of the series. As a fan of the Karin Slaughter Trent series or something like CSI, and authors like Mary Higgins Clark, this author just conquered a spot on my bookshelf next to these authors' works.
Well-written, compelling characters, small-town, mean-girls focus. FBI agent Gus and his partner Vanessa (thank you, author, for using my name on such an awesome, confident, badass punkish character; she is fast, smart, and sassy. Boom!) They make a great team. Together, they investigate a couple of murders that seem to be related to a death that happened more than 20 years ago. The characters involved are no longer high schoolers; they are mom, wives, and some with respectable positions. But 25 years ago... Becca's death was ruled as a suicide, was it really?
Thrilling read, couldn't put it down.
Congratulations, author, for this unforgettable start, with a revenge plot done right. It will remain in my heart and mind for a while. There are some predictable parts, but that is intentional by the author because the end is what matters to the very last sentence.
The author researched well and also has a knack for describing small details with realism, noting things we usually don't pay attention to.
"Closure was Grief's nemesis. Or its puppet."
Pov is not just focused on Gus, the investigator, but mainly on Mel (all of the girls of that circle of friends who are dropping like flies to the hands of a mysterious murderer.
It also has some fun sentences and humor: "The Girl from Ipanema" - a generic, homogenous melody devoided of percussion instruments, the type of tune you hear in elevators or dentists' offices or, Gus was sure, hell."
P.S. I got a copy from the author that did not influence my opinion. After reading the book, I hold the magnet with her name, and I will never forget it.
Book 2
The author did it again. Higher tension, high stakes, and time sensitive. A race to find out who is killing these women and why. In this one, because Vanessa takes the lead (yes, please), that means she will be in likely to be more in danger than usual. She is an amazing character, and there is so much to her: from her humor bits, changing her partner's phone settings to being super cool, sharp, resourceful, and independent. Towards the end, I was sitting at the edge of my seat, begging for nothing bad to happen to our team. The red herring was well made, and I love characters that touch a bit of madness and mental health issues. This was a scary case, and the cover completely makes sense when we enter the last 30% of the novel. Episodic. Awesome case. Thrilling, I was unable to put it down.
(Note Vanessa may not be a Swiftie, but she kinda made me laugh with her Shake it off, Shake it off...I love her personality even in the worst possible situations.
"It's the hope that kills you." So creepy and awesome.
Did I like it more than the first?
I loved both and will recommend them for fans of shows like CSI they both are awesome for different reasons. The first one was small town, old friends, old secrets... This one is more urban and mental health creepier. I think the author knows well how to craft individual episodes with interesting themes that don't compete with each other and give them a refreshing spin. OK. I am ready for the next one.
Thank you, author, for the arc. I know it's unfair to end in one day, way took time to build, and I loved it.
Get book here
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