Don't Be Afraid by Rebecca Drake

I seem to have been in a mini reading slump this week and I am not sure why. I did work Monday and Tuesday and had plans for Tuesday night, so that may be part of it. Anyways, I picked Don't Be Afraid off of my bookshelves and it definitely got me out of the slump. This was a great thriller and I give it an A-.

From Amazon:
It''s a beautiful house--a perfect place to live. To dream. To start a life together. It''s the perfect place for so many things, he thinks as he puts on the gloves and reaches for her, enjoying her screams. But today, it''s perfect place to die. Steerforth, Connecticut, was once an idyllic, sleepy New England town. But now the leafy streets and picture-perfect houses have turned shadowy and menacing, every small detail suddenly becoming suspect: lost toys placed carefully on back porches, lights blazing in a house that should be empty, closet doors standing slightly ajar, mysterious flowers wrapped in black tissue paper. And the bodies. A serial killer has come to Connecticut. He is watching, honing his skills, waiting for the perfect time to make them pay for what they''ve done. And when he''s through, home will never be sweet again.

This was the first book by Ms. Drake and she sure does show promise. So much so that today I braved the pouring down rain and got her other two books, with her last one just being released this month. I really liked the main character, Amy, and felt for her. She is a single mother who recently found out that her husband is a serial cheater. While trying to provide for her and her daughter, she is thrown into a mystery where dead bodies are turning up everywhere. The suspense was done really well and there were some clues as to who the killer was. There were red herrings thrown in here and there which threw me off balance. Her writing style really reminds me of one of my favorite authors, Wendy Corsi Staub. Ms. Drake is published through Pinnacle, one of my favorite publishers, so I was sure I would like it. I think I will be reading her other books fairly shortly.

I have been painting again which I really enjoy. I painted some things for my bedroom as we just redid it and also did some Halloween decorations. I will also start painting some Christmas ornaments that I like to give out as tags on packages or as stocking stuffers. I know Christmas is more than three months away, but sometimes I go through spurts. Tomorrow Michaels has all of their painting stuff on sale, and I also want to make a Welcome sign and a couple of other things. We are getting a ton of rain right now, today we have gotten over 7 inches in some places and it is supposed to rain all morning before a short break and then we are expecting the reminants of Ike. My basement does have a bit of water, so hopefully the weather forecasters will be wrong once again. Up next is John Saul's newest book. I don't have the title handy, but it is my first John Saul book. I believe I have some of his but haven't gotten around to reading any of them. This is a library book and I only have a week with it so I want to get to it right away. I hope everyone has had a good week and weekend and if anyone was in the path of Ike that they are all safe and sound. Happy Reading!