No One’s Home- D.M. Pulley

Cover of No One’s Home- DM Pulley- Published by Thomas and Mercer. I received this ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

From the back of the book:

Margot and Myron Spielman move to a new town, looking for a fresh start and an escape from the long shadow of their past. But soon after they buy Rawlingswood, a foreclosed mansion rumored to be haunted, they realize they’re in for more of the same…or worse.

After a renovation fraught with injuries and setbacks, the Spielmans move in to the century-old house, and their problems quickly escalate. The home’s beautiful facade begins to crumble around them when their teenage son uncovers disturbing details of Rawlingswood’s history—a history of murder, betrayal, and financial ruin. The Spielmans’ own shameful secrets and lies become harder to hide as someone or something inside the house watches their every move.

As tensions build between the family members, the home’s dark history threatens to repeat itself. Margot and Myron must confront their own ghosts and Rawlingswood’s buried past before the house becomes their undoing.

If you’re a fan of the horror or ghost/hauntings genre, this novel is not to be missed. Fraught with images of past horrors hidden in every corner, the house itself is a story untold, waiting to unfold.

Rawlingswood is nestled in what should be the safe neighborhood of Shaker Heights, outside Cleveland, Ohio. But like most so-called safe suburbs, there’s a darker history there than meets the eye. Built upon an old cult ground, the Rawlingswood home has a sinister history that appears to continue to repeat itself. The men who live there don’t seem to live long, and they meet their end in various cruel ways.

As an old Shaker woman said, the dead don’t rest easy there. And neither it seems, do the living.

Ms. Pulley describes the haunting beauty of Rawlingswood in exquisite detail, without boring her readers. If you follow her on social media, and you should, she’s been teasing us for months with photos and virtual tours of homes in the actual Shaker Heights neighborhood that inspired the home in her novel. These tours have been a wonderful way to immerse readers beforehand into the world of No One’s Home, and give them an idea of the opulence of homes such as Rawlingswood.

I recommend this novel to anyone who has read The Haunting of Hill House, as I truly believe it gives it a run for its money in 2019. Also, anyone who enjoys thrillers, ghost stories, and just a good book all-around.

The Raid- Ryan Decker Book 2- Steven Konkoly ARC

ARC cover for The Raid- Steven Konkoly- Thomas and Mercer

I received an ARC from Thomas and Mercer via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. This novel releases on October 8, 2019, at which time my review will also post on Amazon. I am in no way affiliated with Thomas and Mercer or Steven Konkoly. Well, except I’m a super fan hehe.

Continuing where The Rescue left off, The Raid is the second book in the Ryan Decker series. You do need to read The Rescue in order to know exactly what is going on in this novel.

Steven Konkoly is a master when it comes to military/thriller based novels, and this one is no different. It appears that some folks took issue with the amount of “foul language” in The Rescue, based on reviews, which caused them to give lower starred ratings. Apparently, these folks have never been in the military, been around military, nor ever been in any situation similar to Decker and Company. Oh fudge, just doesn’t cut it.
However, because Konkoly is such an awesome guy, he did cut back on the language quite a bit in this novel. It’s there, but it is quite reduced. To remain true to the “former” military life, there are still witty, smart-assed comebacks and nicknames to make your day, if you’re into that kind of thing; and this reviewer is. KILLER BEE is nowhere near as funny as the previous call sign guys, just saying.
Getting back to the story, it’s fantastic. There are some spit-your-drink-out one liners, a tiny bit of romance (don’t worry guys and gals, it won’t make you gag), thrills and chills to keep your heart pumping, and the patented dry humor between Decker and Pierce that hopefully, you’ve come to expect and love.

If you’re disappointed, honestly, I don’t know what to tell you.

Decker and his team are back, this time, investigating what may be human trafficking at the US/Mexico border. Border Patrol agents, on regular patrol, happen across something they are not meant to see; in a military exclusion zone where they are not supposed to be. What appears to be immigrants, crossing the border, except, they aren’t Hispanic. They are European children. The agents are murdered, and the bunker in the area is blown to pieces immediately. One agent manages to get out one last transmission that is heard over the agency frequency. This information gets to Senator Steele, who you’ll recognize from The Rescue. Anything related to possible human trafficking is an automatic investigation for Steele, and involving Decker and his team is a no-brainer.
But with the border, and trafficking, nothing is what it seems. Harcourt, a player from the original novel, and nemesis extraordinaire for Decker and Steele, may be involved. The stakes are higher than anyone could imagine. Decker and his team must play their cards right, and use everything at their disposal, including all that Senator Steele can offer them, in order to make it through whatever lies ahead.

If intense action, suspense, conspiracy, fire fights, and thrills are your favorite type of books then this is the series for you.