Have You Seen Me? by Kate White

Ally Linden is a bit miffed when she realizes she's arrived at work without her key card. No worries, though, a fellow employee lets her in and she can wait patiently for her boss to arrive and let her into her office. 

There's just one problem—Ally hasn't worked in this office for years! She doesn't know why she's turned up here. She doesn't even realize initially that she doesn't work there anymore. But as her memories do start to come back it appears that there are two days in particular still missing. 

As Ally tries desperately to coax the memories to return, she begins to wonder if they could be tied to a trauma she experienced as a child. And as she digs into both that incident and the time surrounding her missing memories, it becomes clear that she's stirred up something. Only by remembering exactly what, though, can she save herself from very real danger!

Kate White's latest stand alone is an entertaining read about trauma and memories.

Ally is a financial expert who lives a fairly normal life. She's happily married, runs a well respected podcast, and is working on a book. She has friends and sees a therapist regularly about pretty run of the mill issues.

In other words, when she realizes she's having memory issues there's nothing that pops out for anyone that would explain the situation.

Except for one thing. When Ally was a child, she witnessed something fairly traumatizing. And that's immediately where her mind goes when she tries to find a reason she could be missing two days of her life.

I liked Ally, she's rational and logical. She enlists the help of her brother and even hires a PI all in an effort to tease out the two days of memories. But as the story played out, I wanted more tension and more surprises.

It felt like White, the author of the very fun Bailey Weggins series and a number of stand alone titles, kind of took the easy way out with this one. There were some half hearted red herrings along the way, but ultimately the book as a whole wrapped up too conveniently for my taste.

I wanted more of the plot line involving her childhood incident and I wanted less obvious sort of foes throughout the book (I will note that I appreciated the way White balanced the characters—they all had faults and felt more human as a result, but each of them could have been explored more deeply for my taste). I think, for me, this particular outing from White could have been made much better with a little simplification. Too many threads just made for a watered down story as a whole this time.

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The Wrong Man by Kate White

Kit is on vacation when she meets fellow New Yorker Matt Healy. He's charming and good looking and she's in the mood for a little adventure. So when he invites her to dinner on her last night in Florida, she accepts. The two make plans to meet again in New York but when Kit arrives at the address he's given, someone else answers the door.

This other man says that he is Matt Healy, that someone has stolen his identity and he needs Kit's help in finding the criminal. Confused and hurt, she agrees only to find days later that one of the Matt Healys has been killed in a hit and run - in Florida. Was it an accident? Was it murder? Will they be coming after Kit next?

Kate White's latest is a twisty turny thriller. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. Kit meets Matt, they have a nice time and that's supposed to be it. But then he calls her, telling her that he has to see her again. All is fine and rosy. And then she arrives at their date to find that he's not who he says he is.

Of course both Kit and the reader then have to wonder what the heck is going on. Why would someone lying about their identity set themselves up to be discovered? Why would they want Kit to know about the deception? The guy was free and clear - they'd already agreed no strings attached.

White swiftly ratchets up the tension, placing Kit in the crosshairs of a criminal whose motives are completely unknown to our heroine. And that's what makes it really scary. Kit's a decorator whose one night of passion has turned into a potentially grave mistake. And without knowing who is after her or why there's not much she can do to protect herself.

The Wrong Man is a tense read and one that might make you rethink chance encounters!

Rating: 4/5

The Sixes by Kate White + a Giveaway

Good morning, readers! Today I'm a stop on the Kate White TLC book tour, featuring her book The Sixes.

After a plagiarism scandal derails her latest book deal, Phoebe Hall decides to regroup and take some time away from the city. A friend's offer of a temporary teaching position at Lyle College in Pennsylvania fits the bill perfectly. But then a student drowns just days after approaching Phoebe. It seems like an accident until Phoebe's friend asks her to dig into campus rumors about a possible secret society called the Sixes. A secret society the dead girl might very well have been a part of. 

Phoebe herself knows just how bad these groups can be and agrees to look into the rumors. But her unofficial investigation gets her some very unwanted attention and Phoebe soon finds herself the victim of a series of malicious pranks. When a second body is discovered, it seems the pranks could be just a preamble to murder. 

With a secret society, college drama, and even a little taste of boarding school storyline, The Sixes was bound to be an enjoyable read. And oh, enjoyable it was! There were a few times I thought I had this one down. I thought I knew the who and the why behind it all. And then White would throw a wrench in the whole thing and make me rethink my theory. I never did get it right - the end was a total surprise. The Sixes is the kind of read where everyone soon becomes a suspect. And of course Phoebe doesn't necessarily see that, which ratchets up the tension fabulously.

Phoebe had it all and lost it thanks to things fairly beyond her control. The plagiarism issue was chalked up to inattentiveness and a mistake made by a researcher - both of which Phoebe does take the blame for, but still... And then she gets dumped because her significant other wants children, a decision that's deemed impossible because of Phoebe's age. So yeah, things suck for Phoebe! But she pulls up her bootstraps and starts over at Lyle College - an opportunity that comes thanks to her friend, Glenda.

The dynamic between Phoebe and her friend Glenda is a great one. Glenda knew Phoebe "when." And the when is important. The reader isn't clued into this immediately, but we do know that the two have a shared background that has made them friends for life, so much so that it makes sense that Glenda would reach out to Phoebe in her time of need. And so much so that Phoebe would readily agree to this behind the scenes investigation into The Sixes in spite of any reservations she might have.

White is a fun author, one I definitely recommend for fans of Mary Higgins Clark, Alafair Burke, etc. The Sixes is just one of her many titles - and a stand alone to boot, as are Hush, Eyes on You, and the upcoming The Wrong Man. She's also the author of the Bailey Weggins series.

Rating: 4/5

And now for the giveaway! I've got an extra copy of The Sixes to give away to one of your lucky readers. To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, June 15. US only please.

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To see more stops on the tour, which includes coverage of The Sixes, Hush, and Eyes on You, be sure to check out the official TLC tour page here.

For more on Kate White and her work, you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.

Mystery Writers of America Cookbook: Wickedly Good Meals and Desserts to Die For ed by Kate White + a Giveaway

Happy book birthday to the Mystery Writers of America! Today marks the release of their brand-spanking-new cookbook.

I'm an admitted cookbook fiend as well as a book junkie, so marrying the two worlds is always wonderfully welcome in my house. Given that, the new Mystery Writers of America Cookbook was a must have as soon as I heard about its release. Not only have a ton of my own favorite authors taken part, submitting family recipes or dishes connected to their famous lead characters - Alafair Burke offers up "Ellie Hatcher's Rum-Soaked Nutella French Toast" and Harlan Coben shares "Myron's Crabmeat Dip" - , there are a bunch of new-to-me authors who have now tempted me to try their dishes and books as well - Leslie Budewitz's "Farfalle with Fennel and Pine Nuts" got flagged for dinner plans as soon as the book arrived as did S. J. Rozan's "Rancho Obsesso Lavender Beets." Both of their books are on the "must read" list now too.

The book also prompted me to do a little reading/cooking pairing. Frankie Y. Bailey's Red Queen Dies is at the top of my TBR and I feel I absolutely must bake her "Whole Wheat Wild Blueberry Lemon Pecan Muffins" to go with it! I also mentioned recently that while reading Laura Lippman's latest, post vacation, I tried her "Aunt Effie's Salmon Ball." I have that recipe here to share with you, just to give you a taste of what's inside:

LAURA LIPPMAN 

Aunt Effie’s Salmon Ball 

My Aunt Effie—actually my great aunt—was a Capital-C Character, an old-fashioned steel magnolia with a hearty laugh and the first person who ever assured me I was funny. Also, maybe the last. Aunt Effie was the middle of three girls, brought up in an all-female household in Smalltown, Georgia, my great-grandmother having been widowed at a relatively young age. Aunt Effie herself was widowed twice and she learned to take care of herself, ending up in another all-female household with her daughter and granddaughter. Well, there was a poodle name John, but they painted his toenails, poor thing. 

On top of everything else, she was a terrific hostess, and two of my favorite recipes come from her: cheese straws and a so-called Salmon Ball, although I despaired years ago of ever learning how to roll this concoction in slivered almonds, so I just mix it up and put it in a small dish. In fact, it makes a great hostess gift. It’s really simple and everyone loves it. Not quite a health food, but you can substitute low- fat cream cheese for the hardcore stuff. 

Because my household is peripatetic, I often find myself in a different city than the one where I keep all my family recipes. But my Aunt Effie’s salmon ball is very forgiving, which is one reason I like to make it. 

Image courtesy of Steve Legato

YIELD: 8–10 SERVINGS 

1 teaspoon dried minced onions (available in the spice aisle) 
1 tablespoon lemon juice 
1 large can salmon, around 15 ounces 
8 ounces cream cheese 
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish 
1 teaspoon liquid smoke— if you can find it 
Slivered almonds (optional) 
Chopped parsley (optional) 

1. Soak dried minced onions in lemon juice for 5 minutes. 

2. Meanwhile, drain salmon and mix thoroughly with cream cheese. 

3. Add lemon juice and onions to salmon mixture, along with Worcester- shire, horseradish, and liquid smoke. You can add more or less according to your taste. 

4. If you are nimble and wildly ambitious, you can form the mixture into a ball and roll it in slivered almonds and parsley. Frankly, I started omitting that step years ago because I could never get it to look right, although I suspect it might work better if you slightly chill the salmon mixture first. Me, I just put it in a nice piece of crockery and refrigerate for several hours. Serve with crackers; it also pairs well with a dry martini or the cocktail of your choice. Eat the leftovers on bagels. 

Laura Lippman is an award-winning crime writer who has written ninenteen books, the most recent of which is the New York Times best seller After I’m Gone. She lives in Baltimore and New Orleans. 

Excerpted from The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook edited by Kate White. Reprinted with permission from Quirk Books. 

And now for the giveaway! Thanks to the publisher I have not one but TWO copies of The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook to give away today. To enter simply fill out the Rafflecopter below before Monday, April 6. US only.

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