BLOG TOUR, BOOKS REVIEW - Beneath Her Skin and Dying To Be Her by Gregg Olsen

 

                                                                  BOOK DESCRIPTION

The girl was slumped over the edge of the old clawfoot tub, her eyes tiny shards of broken glass, her expression void of anything. Her long, wet hair dripped onto the floor. She was dead.

 

When the body of troubled teen Katelyn Berkley is found dead in her bathtub, the close-knit community of Port Gamble, Washington is shaken to its core. All signs point to a suicide but what makes her death even more tragic is that Katelyn survived a horrific bus crash ten years ago, which took the lives of several young girls and has scarred the town ever since.

 

Hayley and Taylor Ryan are identical twins who grew up with Katelyn and have spent the last 10 years getting over the crash. Ever since that fateful night the twins have shared a secret: they can hear the dead. And it soon becomes clear that Katelyn is communicating with them. Whilst the town believes it was a tragic accident, something much darker lies behind Katelyn’s death.

 

And all the time, someone is watching Port Gamble, someone who doesn’t want old secrets to surface…

 

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes a compulsive thriller about two girls’ search to uncover the truth behind their friend’s death, with a touch of supernatural help. Perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Robert Dugoni and James Patterson.

 

This book was originally published as ENVY. This new edition has been re-edited since its publication in 2011.

This gripping thriller is voiced from the perspectives of numerous characters including twins Taylor and Hayley,their best friend Beth Lee and a trouble making reporter called Moira Windsor. The story is set in Port Gamble,a small tight-knit community in Washington,a place where gossip spreads faster than the leaves that are falling from the trees and where most of the residents are quick to pass judgement and voice their opinions on others. It was also a community that was still haunted by a horrifying bus crash almost ten years previously which resulted in five deaths and left many of the families devastated. The residents were a diverse mix of realistic individuals,some likeable,some not so likeable and many who were harbouring secrets. Taylor and Hayley had been on the bus on that fateful day and were two of only three who survived along with another girl named Katelyn.

 When Katelyn is found dead in her bath,the twins can't ignore their suspicions that her death was more than just a simple tragic accident and start their own investigation into her death. The thing is that unlike most people, the twins were not just acting on their cut instincts and suspicions,they have actually been blessed or some might say cursed with the ability to communicate with the dead and are certain that Katelyn has been communicating with them from the other side. I thought the twins were fantastic characters,their interactions were very realistic,they even had the odd disagreement,these were typically about Hayley's relationship with Colton. I liked how although they were twins, the author had given them each their own unique individual personalityI loved their interactions with their parents Valerie and Kevin,their dad was a author who wrote crime novels and encouraged his daughter's interests in crime. Their mum was a psychiatric nurse who I couldn't help thinking knew more about her daughter's abilities that she was letting on. Despite how open the couple appeared to be with the teens, it was obvious that they were also keeping secrets from them about events in the past. Secrets that started to be revealed after Moira Windsor appeared on the scene and started poking her nose into the accident and the twins pasts. Thanks to her interference and persistence, Taylor and Hayley find themselves compelled to dig into their pasts and what happened on the day that they almost lost their lives. Was Katlyn's death really a tragic accident? How many residents knew more about her death than they were letting on? What secrets were hiding within the walls of the old houses of Fort Gamble?

This is a very well written,addictive Y/A thriller with a dash of mystery and a sprinkling of the supernatural that has the reader hooked in from the first page. I liked how the author hadn't padded out the story by taking the reader through how the twins discovered their abilities and learned how the utilize them. His cast of characters were a fantastic bunch of believable individuals and I loved the setting for the story with it fascinating background information and history. I really enjoyed this enthralling mystery and look forward to reading many more of Taylor and Hayley's adventures in the future.

Publication day: Feb 2nd 2021

 

BUY LINKS:

 

Beneath Her Skin (Book 1):

Amazon: https://geni.us/B08S27PDM8Social

Apple: http://ow.ly/rz9750D09IY

Kobo: http://ow.ly/tk9250D09yg

Google: http://ow.ly/KvY250D0sIZ

 

                                                  BOOK DESCRIPTION

Just as the lightning bolt of memory passed, a pair of hands grabbed Olivia’s shoulders and shoved her body backwards against the wooden floor. I’m not going to die here, am I? she thought, though the answer seemed all too clear. Am I?

 

Port Gamble, Washington: When the body of English exchange student Olivia Grant is found at the palatial home of local schoolgirl, Brianna Connors, the town assumes that it’s a Halloween prank gone wrong. But when Brianna and her boyfriend Drew are spotted casually shopping the next day, people start to talk: how could they be so unaffected by Olivia’s death?

 

Twins Hayley and Taylor Ryan have received signs from beyond the grave for as long as they can remember. As the local police piece together the mystery, the girls begin to receive messages suggesting that something darker was at play that night. The killer had a target and they’re not done yet.

 

When the prime suspects disappear, the twins know that time is running out. But to get to the killer, they will first need to confront a close family member who harbors a long-held secret and has committed the ultimate act of betrayal.

 

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author comes an unputdownable thriller about two girls’ hunt to find a killer on the run, with a touch of supernatural help. Perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Robert Dugoni and James Patterson.

 

This book was originally published as BETRAYAL. This new edition has been re-edited since its publication in 2012.

 

In this,the second book in the Port Gamble Chronicles series,we are reintroduced to psychic twins Taylor and Hayley Ryan and some of the other residents of Port Gamble who appeared in the previous book including the twins mother and father, BFF Beth Lee and Colton. This time the twins find themselves investigating the violent death of foreign exchange student Olivia Grant. The murder happened at a Halloween party that was being hosted by self centred Brianna Connors and her boyfriend Drew. In the aftermath the hosts swiftly find themselves being judged and found guilty by the press and social media due to their callous behaviour and actions. Then during the police investigation evidence emerges that points the finger of guilty towards Beth Lee. To be honest Beth Lee wasn't exactly one of my favourite characters,neither were Brianna,Drew or a character called Starla who was just as self centred and intent on stirring up trouble as she was in the previous book. Once again the story is voiced from the perspectives of numerous characters but unlike the previous book this time we also follow the police investigation which was lead by inexperienced Chief Annie Garnett. In Fort Gamble,the police were more used to investigating burglaries than they were murders.

As well as using their unique abilities to figure out who had killed Olivia and why,the twins are also continuing to investigate the bus crash that resulted in the deaths of four children and left the twins in a coma ten years previously. A search that results in the girls uncovering a devastating secret from their mother's past and a shocking act of betrayal that was perpetrated by a close family member.

This book has more action than the previous book and had a seriously intense conclusion. It was packed full of twists and turns,red herrings and unexpected reveals. The story had me hooked in from the first page,kept me guessing and glued to my kindle. Although it can be read and enjoyed as a standalone,due to the continuing story line,I personally would advise readers to read Beneath Her Skin before reading this book. Although the mystery behind Olivia's death is solved there is still some unanswered quest regarding the bus crash and I can't wait to find out what Taylor and Hayley uncover in book 3.

PUBLICATION DATE: 2nd February 2021

Dying to be Her (Book 2):

Amazon:https://geni.us/B08S1RMK8Ksocial

Apple: http://ow.ly/993t50D09Ny

Kobo: http://ow.ly/sChi50D09LB

Google: http://ow.ly/gjXH50D1cy4

                                                           Author Bio:

A #1 New York Times, Amazon Charts, Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author, Olsen has written nine nonfiction books, seventeen novels, a novella, and contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child.

The award-winning author has been a guest on dozens of national and local television shows, including educational programs for the History Channel, Learning Channel, and Discovery Channel. 

The Deep Dark was named Idaho Book of the Year by the ILA and Starvation Heights was honored by Washington's Secretary of State for the book's contribution to Washington state history and culture. 

Olsen, a Seattle native, lives in Olalla, Washington with his wife, twin daughters, three chickens, Milo (an obedience school dropout cocker) and Suri (a mini dachshund so spoiled she wears a sweater).

Author Social Media Links:

Website: https://www.greggolsen.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreggOlsenAuthor/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Gregg_Olsen

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