A Sinister Revenge & What Have We Done

Posted March 8, 2023 by Carole in Reviews / 11 Comments

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Sinister Revenge & What Have We DoneA Sinister Revenge by Deanna Raybourn
Narrator: Angèle Masters
Series: A Veronica Speedwell Mystery #8
Published by Berkley Publishing Group, Penguin Random House Audio on March 7, 2023
Genres: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Historical
Length: 12 hours 3 minutes
Pages: 320
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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five-stars

Veronica must find and stop a devious killer when a group of old friends is targeted for death in this new adventure from the New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Veronica’s natural-historian beau, Stoker, has been away in Bavaria for months and their relationship is at an impasse. But when Veronica shows up before him with his brother, Tiberius, Lord Templeton-Vane, he is lured back home by an intriguing job offer: preparing an iguanodon for a very special dinner party.

Tiberius has received a cryptic message—along with the obituaries of two recently deceased members of his old group of friends, the Seven Sinners—that he too should get his affairs in order. Realizing he is in grave danger but not knowing why, he plans a reunion party for the remaining Sinners at his family estate to lure the killer out while Veronica and Stoker investigate.

As the guests arrive and settle in, the evening’s events turn deadly. More clues come to light, leading Veronica, Stoker, and Tiberius to uncover a shared past among the Sinners that has led to the fatal present. But the truth might be far more sinister than what they were prepared for.

This was great! I have to admit that after I finished the previous book in this series, I was really worried about Veronica and Stoker’s future. I couldn’t wait to see how the author would handle the way things were left between the pair but it turns out that I had no real need to worry. Over the course of the series, I have fallen in love with this group of characters and love seeing the progression of their relationships over the course of the series but I am also very interested in the mystery aspect of the novel which kept me guessing until the very end.

Stoker’s brother, Tiberius, may be in danger. He has received a letter instructing him to get his affairs in order and has learned that two of his friends have recently died. After getting Stoker to return after months away, they work to prepare a party for the remaining members of Tiberius’s group and hope to be able to figure out exactly what is really going on. Stoker and Veronica make such a great team when they are working on a mystery together and I loved the fact that this story was full of twists and turns.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Angèle Masters did a fantastic job with the story. This is the first time that I have listened to any of the books in this series and I was impressed. I really liked the various voices that she used for the cast of characters which really helped to bring the story to life. I found her voice to be very pleasant and found myself listening to this book for hours at a time.

I would highly recommend this series to others. I would recommend reading the series in order if at all possible since the character relationships grow and change over the course of the series but it could probably work as a stand alone if necessary since the mystery is fully contained in this installment. The whole series is great though so you really don’t want to miss any of the books. I cannot wait to read more of this extremely talented author’s work.

I received a review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group and Penguin Random House Audio.

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Sinister Revenge & What Have We DoneWhat Have We Done by Alex Finlay
Narrator: Brittany Pressley, James Patrick Cronin, Jon Lindstrom, Maggie Thompson
Published by Macmillan Audio, Minotaur Books Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
Length: 8 hours 46 minutes
Pages: 368
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon | Audible | B&N | Kobo | Libro.fm
four-stars

In this “top-notch mystery thriller” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) from Alex Finlay, What Have We Done is a tale about the lives we leave behind and the secrets we carry with us forever.

One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2023:• BookPage • BookBub • E! News • Go BookMart • Goodreads • PopSugar The Every Girl • She Reads • Beyond the Bookends

A stay-at-home mom with a past.
A has-been rock star with a habit.
A reality TV producer with a debt.
Three disparate lives.
One deadly secret.

Twenty five years ago, Jenna, Donnie, and Nico were the best of friends, having forged a bond through the abuse and neglect they endured as residents of Savior House, a group home for parentless teens. When the home was shut down—after the disappearance of several kids—the three were split up.

Though the trauma of their childhood has never left them, each went on to live accomplished—if troubled—lives. They haven’t seen one another since they were teens but now are reunited for a single haunting reason: someone is trying to kill them.

To survive, the group will have to revisit the nightmares of their childhoods and confront their shared past—a past that holds the secret to why someone wants them dead.

It’s a reunion none of them asked for . . . or wanted. But it may be the only way to save all their lives.

What Have We Done is both an edge-of-your-seat thriller and a gut-wrenching coming-of-age story. And it cements Alex Finlay as one of the new leading voices in thrillers today.

This was action-packed from the very beginning! I have heard so many great things about Alex Finlay’s writing and was eager to give this book a try. This book follows 3 individuals that all resided at the same children’s home during their youth. They are all finding themselves in danger now and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what was really going on.

This story is told from three main points of view. Jenna is a wife and stepmother who worked as an assassin in the past. Donnie is a down on his luck rock star. Nico works as a television producer. All three of these individuals lived in a children’s home, Savior House, and it appears that they are now in danger because of the things that happened all those years ago since one of their friends from that time is already dead. The story comes together both in the present and in flashbacks to the past from each of the characters.

I loved the cast of narrators that came together to tell this exciting story. With so many different points of view, I really am happy that several narrators were used since that made it so much easier to determine which character was the focus. I thought that each of the narrators did a great job of bringing the characters to life and that their voices worked well together. I am certain that their performance added to my overall enjoyment of the story.

I would recommend this book to others. This was an entertaining and exciting thriller that kept me guessing until the very end. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio.

11 responses to “A Sinister Revenge & What Have We Done

  1. Verushka

    Oh, I definitely need to look into the Veronica Speedwell series after this review! The Alex Finlay title has also piqued my interest, especially as it had you guessing untilt he end.

  2. Great reviews Carole! I will read the Deanna Raybourn series someday. I think I might have enjoyed What Have We Done more as an audio than I did as an ebook, but I still didn’t really like any of the characters. Ben was the best but he was dead.

  3. I was a little worried about the way things were left at the end of the last book for Veronica and Stoker, but this turned out to be a fab follow-up on that and great installment in the series.

  4. I’m currently reading A Sinister Revenge. I didn’t get the audio but I have listened to the previous books with Angèle Masters narrating and I agree, she’s excellent!

    I think I’ll request that Alex Finlay. I’ve enjoyed his past stories.

  5. I’m so far behind in the Veronica Speedwell series! And the Finlay sounds fun, but I heard the plot gets a bit over-the-top at times.

  6. I so enjoyed A Sinister Revenge! It’s such a reliable series and I love that we saw more of Stoker’s family. What Have We Done looks great! Definitely looks like one I’d enjoy and need to read.